I Roasted Tomatoes to Freeze

Sorry to be missing so long.  Its been hot and I haven't been doing much of anything worth writing about.
The geese, bless them, are growing so fast and are so big.

I caught both families out grazing together a few days ago.  All looking well and intact.  They will be heading south in a couple of months.  You can notice the stalwart sentinels, one in each family, standing straight and tall, their long necks a good visual point to look for any dangers.

Roasted Tomatoes:
275* oven for 2 hours of roasting, turning once.

As for the tomatoes, my son took me to the farm so I could buy a few cartons of freshly-picked tomatoes to roast.  This time of year, they are the early types and I always found them to be a little less than flavorful and juicy.  But still, once roasted, they are great to freeze and put in chili, sauces and soups when the time comes.  The flavor is still enhanced by the roasting, even with early varieties.

The first thing I do is chop up some garlic and add it to a large mixing bowl....or two.  The tomatoes are washed in a colander and allowed to drip dry or I give them a wipe with a clean dish towel.  Then I cut them in half and remove the stem ends.

Its a simple procedure to nip out the stem ends when you've cut the tomato in half.

I put the tomatoes in large mixing bowls and add salt, pepper, thyme and olive oil to the tomatoes and give them several stirs to coat them well.

I preheat the oven to 275 degrees.  Place the tomatoes on foil-lined baking sheets cut-side up.  This is very important, putting them cut-side up first.

They will go in the oven and roast for one hour.  After that time, I remove the baking sheets and turn all the tomatoes over.

With them now skin-side up, they can roast for another hour.

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When the 2nd hour is complete, I remove the baking sheets.  If you want to remove the skins before freezing, this is the time to do it.  Its so easy with the skin-sides up.  With a pair of tongs and a fork to hold the tomato in place, I just grab a bit of skin and lift.  It comes right off the tomato.

I write on the bags the items, peeled, roasted, and today's date and when the tomatoes have cooled, using a spatula, I shovel them into quart baggies with the triple seals. Tip the baking sheet and pour in any liquid on the sheet.   Press all the air out, and seal the bags.

These can keep safe and fresh for up to a year in the freezer.  I even use some of them for my current meal as a side dish.  The roasted tomatoes are sooooo very tasty warm from the oven.

Use the frozen tomatoes to add to your soups, chili, sauces and any dish calling for tomatoes.  The roasted flavor adds a special zing to any recipe.
I have frozen them with the skins on, too, and no problem later.  Sometimes a few skins are curled in the cooking and I remove them if they are large, but otherwise, I cook the whole thing.

You just toss the frozen contents into a pot of hot/warm liquid while they are still frozen and it will cook just fine.

I have given them to relatives and they give them high marks as well.  The added roasted flavor makes all the difference in a meal.  Try it, I'm sure you'll like it.

Have a good day.