Today is our youngest daughter's birthday. Last year at this time she and her husband were heading off to Europe. Now she's set aside travel for study and they have moved across the Strait of Georgia, much closer than Europe. I love this photo, taken on our family camping trip at the end of August. Happy Birthday, darling girl, we love you tons. You bring much joy into our lives.
On another note, the tomato harvest continues. I discovered an easy way to freeze them for sauces and soups. I fill a rimmed baking sheet with halved tomatoes, removing only the cores. Chop one or two onions, scatter them over the tomatoes. Strew a little fresh or dried oregano on top. Drizzle with olive oil, just a little on each tomato. Salt and pepper to taste. Then roast at 400 degrees for at least a couple of hours. The tomatoes will give up their juices and if you check them after an hour, you'll see them swimming. Continue baking until most of the juice has evaporated. This is not an exact science. The smell will be wonderful.
Here are the tomatoes after 2 hours - they could go a bit longer for more caramelizing. But I needed to get dinner finished with, so out they came.
I divide them up into 1-1/2 cup amounts (more or less) and freeze them. I like to freeze them in glass rather than plastic. I try to avoid plastic when possible, and this way, they can be defrosted in the microwave, if needed. Thawed, they are the base for soup (just simmer in stock and puree, add a little cream and season), and sauces.
Tell me, what tricks do you have for storing up an abundance of tomatoes?
This is such a great idea! I hadn't thought about freezing in glass. Thank you for the tip!
ReplyDeleteI would never have thought to freeze them in glass --good idea. We are harvesting the last of the garden and never have had such an abundance of tomatoes -- all summer but this bumper crop at the end is amazing. We certainly will miss fresh tomatoes when they're gone.
ReplyDeleteI don't have an abundance so my plan is to serve them up daily until there are no more. This looks like a wonderful plan. I'm sure that they are delicious this way.
ReplyDeleteI have some on the counter and may just go try this! I have made tomato soup, salsa, green tomato relish, spaghetti sauce, roasted tomato sauce (similar to your way) and pizza sauce. I've also thrown them in the freezer whole. You peel them and lay them out on a big cookie sheet, freeze, then break off the sheet and put them in a big bag. Then you can pull out how many you want for soups and such. I'm kind of getting tired of tomatoes. :) For this year anyway.
ReplyDeleteI would LOVE to have an abundance of ripe tomatoes -- as it is, we only rather desultorily planted a few plants -- and late, at that. Then the deer chomped one or two right down and we tried again. Still, we've ended up with a few ripened -- so delicious! And many green tomatoes, which offer their own delights, as I'm sure you know (fried green, mmmmm!)
ReplyDeleteBut I'm storing your instructions away in case we're more successful next year. Thanks!
I used to do it your way too Lorrie, and then use them to make Delia Smith's roast tomato soup...so good!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea for putting up tomatoes from the garden!
ReplyDeleteOh if I only had the sun to grow an abundance o tomatoes. This looks like a wonderful way to always have tomatoes for soup or sauces.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! Thanks for sharing, Lorrie.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to your Girl!
Oh yum...I can almost taste those roasted tomatoes. Good idea!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to your lovely daughter.
Happy birthday to your sweet daughter! I have a son who will have a birthday Saturday.
ReplyDeleteRe: tomatoes. My father always grew tomatoes, and like zucchini and cucumbers, always had a bumper crop. My mother would can them. And all I remember about canning tomatoes was a hot, steamy kitchen in hot, steamy weather. And a hot, steamy mother (not to be confused with Smokin' Hot Momma) in a hot, steamy kitchen means don't ask what's for supper, just make the little kids a PB&J and stay out of the way!
The tomatoes look so delicious...I'd never have any left to freeze lol! Thanks for stopping by, Lorrie!
ReplyDeleteThey look so yummy. Thanks for the tip. Take care, Jen.
ReplyDeleteLucky you to have so many ripe, not green, tomatoes at summer's end. Green tomato chutney is what I usually end up making!
ReplyDeleteThans for this roasting tomatoes recipe Lorrie. I picked buckets of green tomatoes and will eventually have many ripening at the same time so will try this. You must be so happy that your wanderers have settled so close to home!
ReplyDeleteYes it certainly is a lovely photograph full of great body language and even from the side I see your daughter is so like you Lorri.
ReplyDeleteYou have been busy with the tomatoes.