Roasted Tomatoes

I love to roast as a way to preserve over canning because the tomatoes taste better and canned tomatoes from the market are inexpensive. I don't think I could find a jar of locally roasted tomatoes for <$1.00 but if you have a lead on a store that carries them for that price, I'm there. I did can this year because I had a very plentiful harvest and I'm pretty sure I couldn't afford all of the olive oil required to roast a thousand tomatoes.

I've had a few requests for this tomato recipe so here goes...


Pull them off the vines and rinse. There's close to a hundred tomatoes in the tub below and you'll use that many to obtain two to three pints of tomatoes. (depends on size of course. I use the smallish Roma's for this recipe)

Add generous amounts of olive oil and balsamic vinegar,kosher salt, pepper, rosemary, basil, and a touch of oregano. I used fresh herbs because I have them available right now but dried herbs work just as well. Don't be afraid to experiment. I'm positive you can't go wrong unless you burn them.

oh, and don't forget the garlic -very important, but not as important as the balsamic vinegar. The balsamic vingar is the reason why the tomatoes pop with flavor in your mouth.

Make sure to swish the 'maters around in the oil/herb mixture so they get a good coating. Turn them flat side down and let them sit for 30-45 minutes to marinate

Bake them for about 45-1 hr at 425 degrees until they look like this:

and then flip and cook them until they look like the photo above. When you flip them they will feel like mush. Don't be tempted to quit at this stage because the tomatoes will be mushy and a bit watery. Roasting the other side really seals in the flavor and texture. The second roasting doesn't take long so be on the lookout.

Let them cool and then put them the storage container of your choice and freeze. I added a little extra olive oil for preservation (that's entirely optional) and used mason jars because I have plenty. I've had another jar in the fridge for two weeks now and If I had to guess, I say it will last a really long time because of the olive oil.

And after all of that hard work...

It's time to eat!