SAUCE TIME!
We are overflowing with delicious tomatoes! Come check out our ever-so-slightly-imperfect B grade tomatoes for sale Tuesdays & Fridays, 8am-noon, through September or while supplies last. $17 for a 10 lb flat. Please check our website and/or answering machine for any and all updates.
Now is the time to fill your freezer with tomato sauce- it is easy to do. Here's how we do it:
Cut out the center core of the tomato where the stem attaches (and any scars on the skin) cut into quarters and fill a sauce pan. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally to keep tomatoes from sticking to the bottom. Once boiling, cook uncovered for 1-2 hours on low heat, stirring every half hour. As the water boils off and the tomatoes sauce gets thicker, remove from heat and take an immersion blender and chop up the tomato skins (or use a food processor). We eat the seeds and skins blended with the sauce.
Cool the sauce and fill freezer bags, label them and place on a cookie sheet in the freezer to freeze as flat 'bricks'. Once frozen, they stack nicely in your freezer.
When ready to use, defrost the sauce, and saute some onion, garlic in olive oil, add the sauce and spices. Cook down a bit more and Voila! Tasty homemade tomato sauce.
Canning tomatoes is another option if you don't have freezer space. Find some canning jars and lids and cook the tomatoes the same way, but fill jars when sauce is still hot. Check online for info on canning.
And while you're in the kitchen..... if you want to have the fresh taste of basil, Italian parsley or other fresh herbs available during the winter, blend the herbs with olive oil in a food processor to a smooth pesto type thickness. Put into freezer bags and flatten so you can simply break off a frozen piece when needed. Or freeze in ice cube trays. Easy peasy and oh so summery on those cold winter nights!
Enjoy.
Richard, Sally, Flint and the team at Cate Farm.