enjoying summer produce in the winter months

I found a very easy, neat (like no mess), and affordable way to capture the essence of summer.  Truth be told, if it made a huge mess and took forever I would not embark on this tomato-filled adventure, but it is easy, breezy and you will thank yourself you did it when the ground is covered with snow.  Make sure you wait until the end of the summer when you can get deals, like 20lbs of tomatoes for $12. 

You will need twelve items:  an oven, cookie sheets/jelly roll pans, bulk tomatoes (I normally do 10 - 20lbs at a time - any kind), a knife, a basting brush, olive oil, salt, pepper, a blender/food processor, plastic freezer bags, a soup ladle, and a refrigerator.

Preheat your oven to 350/400 degrees.  Wash your tomatoes (obviously) then cut in half & arrange them flat side up - do not waste your time cutting off the area where the stem grows, not necessary.  Drizzle olive oil and lightly salt & pepper each tomato.  Using your basting brush, brush the tops of the tomatoes to ensure the olive oil coats the entire flat surface.  Place your pans in the oven and set the timer for 40 minutes.  This can be a noisy step, as the tomatoes pop and crackle as they bake. 

Check the tomatoes and bake them until the tops are crinkled and browning (depending on what kind of tomatoes you use it could take anywhere between a total of 40 minutes – 2 hours).  Remember, the more you roast them the more flavorful they will be.  Once you are happy with the color AND your home is filled with the delicious aroma of roasting tomatoes (yum!), pull them out and let them cool on your stove.  Place cooled tomatoes in a large bowl, cover, and put in fridge.  Go to sleep*. 

*I realized last night that it is easier if you span this project overnight.  You end up not having to wait for the tomatoes to cool off, which is something I highly recommend because I am very against putting hot items in plastic bags. 

Wake up.  Grab the blender/food processor, put a few tomatoes in and puree away.  DO NOT completely fill either machine with tomatoes - you will have a mess.  Use a soup ladle to add approximately four cups to each plastic bag - this seems to be a reasonable amount.  Place in freezer and try to forget about them until your farm stand closes, your CSA share ends, or you see stores trying to pass off horrible, mealy red things as tomatoes.  Use instead of canned tomatoes as a soup base or sauce component.  I was thinking about adding crushed red peppers to one of my batches this year because we "like-ah da spice".  Enjoy!