Every year I process a dozen or so quarts of tomatoes. Some are used in stews or soups, but most get cooked down into rich spaghetti sauces as needed throughout the year. But we were finding, to my disappointment, that we would still reach for store-bought spaghetti sauce when we needed a quick fix dinner.
So this year I am taking the time to cook large batches of tomatoes into sauces that we will can for quick meals. In the first batch, some olive oil, garlic, and 6 quarts of tomatoes became 2 quarts of thick sauce. I never like the way the store-bought sauces taste when they add the spices for me, so I didn’t add any spices. It won’t take any more time to add ‘fresh’ basil and dried herbs last-minute when we need those quick dinners.
How else do you process your tomatoes?
Sustainable Scientist 
Salsa!
I am such a snob about salsa anymore. We get this fresh stuff year-round that is better than anything I could cook. Sigh!!
I made 6 pint jars of Indian style Masala Sauce! Yum, so easy to add paneer and lentils. We already have only one jar left, after putting up 20 lbs of tomatoes, about 1/2 spaghetti and 1/2 masala.
Got a special recipe for that Grace? Love to hear it.
It seems like everything gets ripe at the same time. My wife discovered another way of preserving it all. Roast ’em! She will take a pyrex baking dish, put olive oil on the bottom, then chop onions, garlic, green beans, beets, green peppers, (whatever is ripe) Then add fresh herbs like basil, rosemary, oregano, salt and pepper, and balsamic vinegar, maybe some dill weed. Then she will add the halved tomatoes on top face down. Roast at 425 until the tomatoes turn a little brown.
When it’s ready she will blend it up and either put it into pint or quart freezer bags or make soup cubes in an ice cube tray. This is a great way to keep up with the harvest and have a sauce for over rice, noodles or potatoes. Her husband loves it! 🙂
My favourite is roast tomatoes as well. It’s is our go-to in the fall during tomato season. Coat the halved tomatoes in olive oil, roast, tossing in some sliced onions and garlic cloves near the end. When we take the tray out of the oven, we just pour on a little more olive oil, some dollops of goat cheese, fresh cracked pepper, and stir. I just never get around to preserving it cause it is so delicious!