You can fire roast them and make salsa. You can dehydrate them and use those for breads later. Ok my mouth is watering. I brb!

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LOL I forgot I wasn't on AIM, but yea, I'll still go make me some food.

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Fire roasted salsa sounds excellent! recipe? and does it freeze?

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Wrap them in foil and put directly on fire, or use a butane blow torch like we do. Trick is to blister the skin of the tomatoes and chiles. Depends on your picante index, your tomato-to-chile ratio should be about 3:1.

Garlic, onion to taste [remember I hate them so those aren't used so much around here ;)]. Pinches of cumin, marjoram then a handful of chopped cilantro.

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Some kinds of tomato sauce freeze well, and soups without potatoes tend to do well too.

I have yet to do jury duty *looks around nervously* but my dad has done it several times here in L.A. He's retired and kind of takes it in stride.

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Jury duty really is the pits. I think basically you'd *have* to be retired to do it - and since we get more conservative as we age, how is that a jury of our peers?

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My husband (who is the foodie in the house; I think of food as something I have to put up with so I won't fall unconscious in the middle of a book) suggests that tomato sauces freeze well, and recommends Alton Brown's Good Eats recipes. His Tomato Sauce calls for Roma tomatoes but is probably adaptable.

He also says that staggering the planting doesn't work; foods grown without bizarre interference (chemical nutrients, dna splicing) tend to ripen at the same time 'cos that's when the weather is pushing them.

(I fully expect to never serve on a jury. So far, I check the "financial hardship" box when I get a summons, 'cos it would be. If it turns out that I could serve on a jury without losing my place to live, I'll have to go in & attempt to not get charged with contempt of court for asking "which god" and wearing a FIJA.org button.)

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Tomato sauce it will probably be then. I like the idea of freezing in little ziplock baggies. That will make like easier.

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I got a jury duty notice in July and because of my CP, agoraphobic, and general inability to drive I never have to participate for a jury.

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ahh. I *would* do it if I could afford it- but who's employer gives them unlimited paid jury duty?

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Easy tomato sauce for freezing.
(Really just a base- needs seasoning for spaghetti sauce, etc.)

Wash tomatoes and hull. Remove green spots and any other blemishes.

Quarter or otherwise roughly chunk up into pot.
Place over medium heat, stir occasionally.
Use turkey baster to remove some of the clear watery liquid that separates during the early cooking stage as desired- this will cut down on cooking time.

When tomatoes reach a 'stewed' consistency, stir with an immersion blender until nearly smooth- the skins will all but disappear. If you don't own a wand type immersion blender, blend in a blender. The immersion blender works best in a small to medium sized saucepan. Large quantities don't blend as smoothly.

Continue simmering until volume has been reduced by half or desired thickness has been achieved. Strain if you wish to remove remaining seeds and bits of skin.

Ladle into ziplock baggies and freeze. Defrost and use like canned tomato sauce.

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I think this might be the way to go - and hope I don't get sick of tomato sauce come winter :)

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It is the simplest way I have found to deal with the mass quantities of tomatoes I get from my four plants. No canning jars to deal with, and the little flat packets of tomato sauce use freezer space very efficiently- two cups makes a packet about a half inch thick in a standard ziplock freezer bag. It is a pretty good base for spaghetti sauce and can even be used in a lot of recipes calling for canned and stewed tomatoes if you don't mind not finding chunks of tomatoes in the finished recipe. (Like Mexican rice, Kima, minestrone soup/stew etc.)

Good luck with your harvest!

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That stuffed tomato looks trufax delicious. :)

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It really was - the pic didn't do it justice.

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Sort the tomatoes by size, wash off any blatent dirt. Hull and peel (with minimum blanching time, if you can.) Freeze with all the associated tomato liquid. They'll come out very soft due to the freezing, but they'll still have that 'fresh' raw tomato flavor. You can saw off chunks to use in salsa or soups as your needs warrent.

Also try making lasagna with fresh tomato slices on top. Freeze, and bake it up in the winter for a taste of summer.

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My brother lusts madly for Giada di Laurentis and watches her show regularly. Apparently most cooked tomato dishes freeze well. He has sent me recipes that Giada makes and freezes, so I know there are some there. specifically some with artichokes and tomato sauce. In return, I found out that all her recipes from the show are online, saving the price of an expensive cookbook.

Other than that, ratatouille freezes well, as does caponata, bolognese sauce, etc. and even pizza.

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Your tomato plants are so leafy! What do you fertilize them with? Is the garden well established, with soil that's been worked for years? My tomatos this year were a rather poor lot. i did get some good ones, but not nearly as many as i have in the past, and the foliage was poor, and for some reason on all (six) plants i got a lot of yellowing and browning. i was thinking i managed to overwater? or there's some kind of weird imbalance. This is only the second year i've gardened here, and the soil was pretty sketchy to start.

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