Slow-Roasting Tomatoes
I don’t know that I’ve ever met a tomato recipe I haven’t liked, but there are some that I love more than others. One of my favorite ways to enjoy summer tomatoes is by slow-roasting them in the oven. You can throw these on pizza, on salads, eat them plain or my favorite, on top of some toast with an egg. When you slow roast tomatoes it deepens the flavor and concentrates the sugars. As a result you’re left with delicious jammy little puddles of tomato goodness, and making them couldn’t be simpler! This is even a great way to deal with so-so tomatoes that you buy from the store or the end of the season tomatoes that are ripened indoors and lack the sun-ripened flavor.
You can use any kind of tomato, from cherries to beefsteaks, just keep in mind that the larger the tomato the longer it will take to roast. Roma types that are dry roast quicker so check them earlier, but beefsteaks are more concentrated when roasted so they taste better. If you’re going to roast a batch, you may as well do an entire oven full to save energy and I guarantee you’ll always want more!
All you need to do it is cut the tomatoes in half, lay skin side down on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (the parchment helps get them up later). If you want to, drizzle with olive oil and some freshly chopped herbs and sprinkle with salt and pepper, or simply roast as is, it’s up to you, I do both. Roast in a 225 degree oven for 4-8 hours or until reduced in size and slightly moist, cooking time depends on size of tomatoes and your oven. You can try raising oven temp to 250, but you may get some dark spots on the tomatoes, it depends on your oven. I like to put mine in the oven before I go to bed and set the timer for 6 hours. The next morning I check the tomatoes, remove any that are finished and continue roasting any tomatoes that aren’t quite done. You can taste one after 3-4 hours and you’ll be able to tell if it’s done or not. It should taste like concentrated tomato with a slightly sweet tang. If it’s still acidic and sour, roast for a while longer.
These will need to be frozen to preserve them. I usually freeze on the cookie sheets, then store in a large bag. That way can I get one or twenty depending on what I’m making. I like to use slow-roasted tomatoes in my homemade ketchup, I find it adds a wonderful rich flavor and reduces the cooking time. I don’t roast them quite as long as when I do this since it’s much easier to extract the peels and seeds when they’re not quite as dry.
Have you ever slow roasted tomatoes?
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Oh No, I have NO Internet
Our internet connection has been intermittent since Sunday, which is why my post was late yesterday. We’re supposed to get it fixed this morning, hopefully they can figure out the problem. It sure makes blogging difficult, not just because I can’t post, but I also use the internet as a research tool. I’m constantly searching for tips on gardening and other things that I talk about here. I get a lot of questions through e-mail about different gardening topics and if I don’t know the answer I usually spend some time on the internet researching. As I read I also like to search for books that are mentioned and information and history about specific topics. Not having the internet sure makes it difficult. I’ve got a list of things to look up when it is working once again. I guess it will allow for some good work time without any distractions and it looks like I’ll have extra time to work in the garden and to can up all those tomatoes sitting on my table.
As a result I’m taking the day off, hopefully I can get this posted before the connection goes down again.
How much do you rely on the internet for your job and enterainment?
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Cover Crops and Carrots
Last Thursday I decided it was time to till under the patch of crimson clover I had growing as a cover crop on the new front garden area. I want to plant some winter rye here for an overwintering cover crop. It should help improve the quality of the soil in this area.
The problem was I had a small patch of carrots still left in a small part of this garden area that weren’t quite up to size. I decided I’d rather harvest them small and replant the entire area with a beneficial crop. The carrots were on the smaller size, but I was still impressed with my harvest and with the carrots.
I’ll be planted the winter rye next week most likely, as you’re supposed to allow the previous cover crop to decompose for two weeks before planting something else.
Do you ever harvest things early to get something else planted?
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Quote of the Day: Michael Perry
“This is the time of year when the countryside truly thumbs its nose at the subzero purge of winter. The greenery is full-blown, the dew-drenched morning reverberate with a tropical chirp and twitter, and everywhere there are babies: tiny rabbits beneath the apple tree, speckle-chested robins begging worms from mama, a spotted fawn by the mailbox down by the driveway, and now and then a glimpse of the pheasant hen leading her loyal brood.”
Michael Perry, Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting
We saw this fawn with it’s twin and mama a week ago in the back garden. Not that I was happy to see it since it will be eating my blueberry bushes this winter along with my apple trees and strawberries. It was peeking around the garage, that’s my cold frame right in front of it. (thanks to Mr Chiots for running out and getting this photo).
I’d have to say one of my favorite things about summer is all the activity in the garden. Bees are buzzing on every thing that blooms, butterflies flit about and you see birds everywhere. The gardens are alive with color and life.
What do you love about summer?
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In Case You Were Wondering
I thought I’d write a post about Miss Mama and Little Softie to update you on how they’re doing. Miss Mama has been spayed and she’s all healed up and back her normal self. She’s decided that lounging around on the two chairs we have outside is her new favorite pastime.
We took Miss Mama in to get her fixed the week before we went to Monticello. She was remarkably easy to catch, I simply put food in the doorway of a cat carrier. When she stuck her head in to eat it, I slowly moved the bowl towards the back and she walked in, then I closed the door. We kept her overnight in the carrier (we didn’t want to try to catch her the morning we needed to take her in, and she wasn’t supposed to eat for 8 hrs) so she’d be ready to go at 7:30 the next morning. We dropped her off a the vet and picked her up the next evening. We kept her in a larger dog kennel in the garage for a few days and she seemed happy. We were wondering if she would run away and never come back when we released her. When we opened up the kennel door to let her out, she came out, stretched, purred and went right back in and laid down. I guess she wasn’t too mad at us.
They LOVE the pet door and think that the back of the garage is now their front porch. They spend a lot of time back there playing in the grass and lounging on the bales of peat moss we have stored under the rain barrels. They seem very comfortable in the garage and I think they’ll be there for quite a while. I need to start thinking about getting them a heated water bowl for the winter, and I need to make them up a warm box or bed for the winter. Our garage is an unattached pole building and it’s very cold in winter. I think an enclosed box with some straw will keep them nice and warm.
Little Softie is growing as well, she’s getting much taller and is starting to venture a little ways away from the garage. Soon enough she’ll be out hunting as well, although after her adventure she hasn’t been as brave as she used to be. It’s been fun watching her and mama play and run around. They seem like they’re having a great time here at Chiot’s Run.
Anything fun going on in your house?
