All About Tomatoes

t seems that every year I watch my tomatoes get bigger and bigger and still have to buy someone else's while mine stay green. Then, all of a sudden, every one of them is ready at once and I have tomatoes coming out the ears. Here are a few things you can do with them when you end up with more than you can possibly eat.

Cut up some tomatoes and cucumbers and a little bit of onion. Put it in a bowl with some ranch dressing. It's outstanding!

Cut them up and cook them down. Add more to the cooking pot whenever the hot tomatoes cook down and leave some room. You will be hard pressed to fill that pot with cooked tomatoes. Keep on cooking until the watery ring is gone around the outside edge of the pot. You want to keep stirring it and checking it because burnt tomatoes are horrid, plus you will ruin your pot.
After I am finished adding all the cut up tomatoes I have designated to become sauce, I add a couple of bay leaves. Cook them right in with the tomatoes and it adds just enough subtle flavor that you will never do without it again.

When you have the consistency you desire (there really is no exact in tomato sauce creation) you have the option of straining it in a wire strainer to remove any bits of seeds or bits of skin that haven't been cooked down. I never bother and have not heard one complaint yet.

Let it cool and put in containers, or better yet, put in ziplock freezer bags and lie flat in your freezer until solid. They take up less room this way and can be stacked upright or flat, whichever you prefer.

When you want to use some, just thaw and add your garlic and any spices you like. This sauce is cheap, tasty and full of vitamins. The jarred stuff is expensive, yucky and full of stuff you can't pronounce.

You can can them too. What's that? Groans of dismay? Canning is easy, and satisfying. Canning tomatoes is the easiest thing to can because of the acidity of the tomatoes. You don't have to use a pressure cooker, just a steam or water bath.
Clean the jars in hot soapy water. Boil the lids and bands. [Note: Some canning jar makers say NOT to boil the lids; follow the directions that come with your specific lids and jars. While you can reuse bands as long as they're not rusty, you should NEVER reuse lids!--Ed.]
Dip tomatoes that have been cored into boiling water for a few seconds. Then plunge them into cold water (fill your sink with it) You can then slip the skins with no problem. Place the peeled tomatoes into clean, hot jars and make sure not to leave any empty spaces between them in the jars (they will cook down in the steamer and you will have wasted space in the jars).
Wipe the jar rims with a clean cloth, seal and process for 15 minutes (start timing when the water starts to reboil) in boiling water that's at least an inch over the top of the jars. [Editor's note: recommendations have changed since this article was written.--L] You might want to get a canning rack--a wire rack that fits inside a big pot and holds the jars apart and off the bottom of the pot to avoid cracking the glass. They're very inexpensive and last for years. When the jars are done, rest them on a dishtowel and listen for the "ping" of the lids sealing themselves--it's music to a canner's ears.

This winter, you can use these any time you need a taste of summer and believe me, they are far better tasting than the dry, pale, wanna-be tomatoes on the supermarket shelves.

While you have that water boiling, you can peel some tomatoes and quarter them, place in freezer containers and freeze. These will not hold their shape when thawed but will still taste wonderful.

You can dehydrate tomatoes relatively easy as well. Preheat your oven to 150 degrees. Use Roma tomatoes because they are more meaty and less seedy/juicy. Place them on a cookie sheet skin side down and brush with olive oil and salt and pepper. Heat for 8-12 hours. I keep mine in a Ziplock bag in the veggie drawer of my fridge. I found some recipes online that said to place the dried tomatoes into jars and cover with olive oil and garlic cloves. That sounds great! [Note: If you try that, store the jars in the fridge; unrefrigerated, this can easily become prime botulism habitat.--Ed.]

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Amy Rawson is a freelance writer, and is the attachment parent leader at http://www.herplanet.com. She also runs a home-based business making homemade salves, oils and balms for babies and mamas at http://www.welcome.to/lvmyboysessentials. © 1999-2005 Amy Rawson, used by permission.