Tomato Stash

This has been a very good tomato year.

A little over a week ago we brought in all the tomatoes we could find before a hard freeze. But since it didn't freeze that hard (or since our covering worked) I still found more tomatoes hiding in the foliage and brought those in too. 

This is my tomato stash. It is in the mudroom in the way of everybody who wants to walk through there. 

I keep an eye on it and as soon as some start to turn a little bit less green or even have a tinge of orange then they get to move to the east window in the kitchen. 

I love how the window sill looks when it is full of tomatoes.

I check that window everyday. 

Once I get enough tomatoes to fill a roasting pan they come off the windowsill and go onto the counter.

This looks like it will fill a half sheet pan nicely.

The ones on the counter get washed, sliced into quarters, stemmed and have the seeds mushed out of them. Except the Roma's. They just get halved and get to keep their tiny seeds.  There is not much to them otherwise.

Then I roast them. Usually I chop up a few onions to go with them, drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle them with basil.

Waiting to go into the oven.

I put them in the oven at 400° I roast them for 30 minutes. Then I turn them over and roast another 30 minutes. When they're done they come out of the oven sit around till they're cool enough to handle. 

This is the version I make Tomato Soup with.
The carrots are the secret ingredient.

Once cooled down enough to handle they get weighed and stuffed into freezer bags and labeled and put in my freezer.  I've already used some in recipes whenever they ask for canned tomatoes. They sure are tasty.

It's been a good tomato year.