Well finally I’m getting some significant tomato harvest – I was so sure they wouldn’t ripen in time, as the whole vegie garden has been very slow this year. But I have managed to pick a few good handfuls each day for the last week or so, and they’ve been steadily accumulating. Besides tomato sauce, the main way our household uses tomatoes is as tinned tomatoes in casseroles, pasta sauces, etc – so I always try to preserve as many as I can to use in this way through out the year. And considering that I have already made my sauce for this year, from bought tomatoes, any that come in from now on will be preserved in jars. When doing this I literally just quarter the tomatoes (removing any bad bits), push them into the jars quite tightly, drop a garlic clove or two on top, and fill with water.
Then I process them in a water bath for about an hour.
I have also made a couple of batches of semi dried tomatoes.
Balancing Rock Farm Semi-Dried Tomatoes
Quarter tomatoes, removing any bad bits
Put in a bowl, with a bunch of chopped basil and/or oregano, and as much garlic as you like. Add enough olive oil to coat the tomatoes.
Lay in single file on a baking tray, and place in a cool oven for up to 8 hours.
Once the tomatoes have dried down to your liking (I like mine to still be a bit juicy, but slightly crispy on the outside), pack into a sterilised jar, and cover with olive oil.
Refrigerate for up to 1 month. Delicious on toast in the mornings, or tossed through freshly cooked pasta.
They smell so good they may not make it to the jar! Enjoy!
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