Tomato Time
Tomatoes are my favorite garden vegetable to grow. They're my favorite for a couple of reasons: firstly because I enjoy eating them raw or in almost any preparation, and secondly, after the initial planting they are almost worry free...give them sun and water and you're guaranteed a good crop by August. At any rate, I always seem to plant too many and get a little overwhelmed when they all start to ripen at once...faster than I can consume them. So for the past 5 years or so I've started making a large batch of basic tomato sauce and freezing it, and it usually lasts most of the winter. The flavor is incredible. I usually season it lightly with onion, a couple peppers, garlic, salt, fennel, basil, and a little sugar. This way if I want to use it in another application (such as an Indian dish, or Cajun, or Lebanese) the flavors are mild enough that I can adapt it.
Anyhow, the process goes something like this: pick and wash the tomatoes, cut them into large pieces. I used to peel painstakingly peel them, but I found that using a blender the peels puree fine (and supposedly the skins are where most the nutrients reside). I then simmer them down in a large pot, add sauteed onions, garlic, and other seasonings, and puree it. The texture of a homemade sauce made with fresh tomatoes is so much different than that of canned tomatoes...it's almost fluffy. I then package it and freeze it. Then when it's in the middle of a bitter Buffalo winter I'm able to eat tomato sauce and remember the dog days of summer.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVWCmxjpPEqV_5EtWELZZ_vgsMycLoFV6849UdK7WJ4SvX6oYOYmVTLLkq_UOjy_e0RBLNQDY8ZzRO-3XoExXvTa38SSUEbk4-M1pIJ0AKWmIqn3xX5ISJbbWPhevaunan7srYpar2xQ/s400/IMG_1887.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbd0IVyOc7sl9RJ3tA79Dbtxm9ZrgQ3UQ1VJyJ3VT4AUy5caCbQuWp-21bIE_kUiuJ8dCOfEbYlwurmRHdgJZtFzRPrMjogm0e5BaaAx641fnhGfJ_zWTWLkpnJsfon6YOqqHL5YkWZc/s400/IMG_1888.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfMfGol5ilCtK-G9TW9QWsKp-MIVSVoIUHKm7a9AnQlSOADAQfa-IxHtVqV30j6FCiruZsvNaTIt92PGntusbJ3EVKOkuQAP5LqvugfKr86l66KrwdLvbgoTrUuW7Wl88GAxzCupvDl8/s400/IMG_1889.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhye9fSJ7sE32qG2Vm0OgYgnJiynDnCo4pbcswL_cd-yWXfvZ2EwkfPExV5nSHRxXl9AOW3bFZ_hJFw3SsA0zHF-LwLY5QGQEQCXZbwvjPEqAegeNfIyOQrQGbox7ETvdGVmhpxPV4mtnk/s400/IMG_1891.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_z7kCzrXtgitY8XcKws0MYKkORJQCz5GAuYzcVqj2_z-IekkfjqBDk70feWBJLPHdxphBGgx8cPn_ANkHqpx3E9mVjsFyWr3MKEwtZgkg9zFJXEnw3avFQMLjhCJBgSboNnxKbroA0w/s400/IMG_1892.JPG)
Anyhow, the process goes something like this: pick and wash the tomatoes, cut them into large pieces. I used to peel painstakingly peel them, but I found that using a blender the peels puree fine (and supposedly the skins are where most the nutrients reside). I then simmer them down in a large pot, add sauteed onions, garlic, and other seasonings, and puree it. The texture of a homemade sauce made with fresh tomatoes is so much different than that of canned tomatoes...it's almost fluffy. I then package it and freeze it. Then when it's in the middle of a bitter Buffalo winter I'm able to eat tomato sauce and remember the dog days of summer.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5ndC6AI5KPbh90eJ7vFtPnv0NT0fs9u1xdyOY6BSehPt-Vt94fjPpYDuxa_edn0vhnZbCpX1vvAxAihUjj1YrzHIl0oldO0U8ok-TjDjIYlP-nE6fE4S_C1Riqregw-FHjKD8KhDh7Q/s400/IMG_1893.jpg)
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