Cheap Tomatoes for Sauces

Unemployment Tip for Tomatoes

Either grow them yourself or find someone who is growing them - they probably have an overabundance of them during the summer months. Don't know any farmers? Buy from a farmers market or go to a "pick-it-yourself" farm - http://www.pickyourown.org/

Here in Tallahassee we have several farmers markets including:

Downtown Farmers Market: http://www.downtownmarket.com/ (Sat 8:00AM - 2:00PM)
Tallahassee Farmers Market: 1415 Timberlane Road @ Market Square (T,TH, Sat 8:00AM -5:00)
Grower's Market: 229 Lake Ella Drive (Wed 3:ooPM - dusk)

Italian Stewed Tomatoes: Recipe

Suggested Ingredients

Ripened Tomatoes which can include any garden variety such as Roma, cherry and beefsteak
olive oil
1/2 red or videlia onion
3 ribs of celery
1/4 cup of fresh basil
1 -2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
Chicken or vegetable broth
sea salt to taste

Suggested Method of Cooking

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Take as many tomatoes as you would like to stew and make an X across the bottom of each tomato, just piercing the skin. While you wait for the water to boil, chop up onion and celery. Put a bit of olive oil into a skillet. I love to use cast iron for these sort of recipes. Toss the onions and celery into the skillet with the olive oil and saute.

Meanwhile, your water is now boiling so drop the tomatoes into the water for no more than 30 - 45 seconds. Remove, peel and chop each tomato. If you are also cooking smaller tomatoes like cherry, leave them whole. Don't forget to continue to stir the onions and celery! Once the tomatoes are chopped, add them to the skillet along with enough broth to cover the veggies. Add the basil, garlic and let simmer over a medium-low heat. Cook for a bit, tasting every once in a while. Add some salt if you want, or not. I like to cook this on low for at least 1/2 hour or more. At the very least cook until you begin to taste the flavor of basil and garlic in the sauce.

Once it is done let it cool slightly, then divide into freezer bags in 14.5 oz portions. This is the normal portion that is in cans and most recipes will call for. Now freeze and when you need stewed, diced or whole tomatoes, just pull 'em out and defrost them! They are perfect for sauces, soups, casseroles, etc. They keep for around 8 months, depending on how freezer tight your method of freezing.