fresh tomatoes Archives | Heavenly Homemakers

I have decided that there will probably be lots of tomato plants lining the streets of gold in heaven. Every time I make a salad and include the fresh tomatoes from our garden, I am reminded of God’s goodness. There is so much yum in a summertime fresh tomato.

Last week, we had some leftover chicken which we added to lettuce and tomatoes with shredded cheese for a quick lunch. I stirred in some Homemade Ranch Dressing and loved every single bite.

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When I told the boys we were having Chef Salad with Crispy Cheese Crackers for lunch, they weren’t super excited. (They’d have been happier if I’d announced we were having bacon, no doubt.)

But as they worked their way through the meal, munching on the homemade crackers with their salads, even my youngest had to admit, “Mom, this is actually a really good lunch.”

Actually? Yes, how shocking.

Whatever. I was in the middle of eating fresh tomatoes straight from heaven. They could say whatever they wanted.

Chef Salad Fixin’s

Fresh greens
Your choice of meat (leftovers are great for this!)
Shredded cheese
Peas
Beans (pintos or black)
Corn
Sunflower seeds
Olives
Tomatoes
Carrots
Cucumbers
Mushrooms
Hard boiled eggs
Sweet peppers

Need some homemade salad dressing recipes? Find them here.

When you make tomato sauce on the stove-top, it takes several hours, plus you have to stir the sauce quite often to keep it from scalding on the bottom. No biggie – I’ve done it this way forever and it hasn’t killed me yet. But guess what? My friend Anne just figured out a way to make tomato sauce in the oven and it’s even easier!!!! (Maybe some of you have been doing it this way all along and it’s only new to Anne and me?)

If you’ve read my stove-top tomato sauce directions, you already know that I do not peel my tomatoes nor do I take the seeds out. I just blend up the tomatoes and call it good. Some might call this lazy. Shucks, I call this lazy. But this is one instance where being lazy works fine. You are very welcome to take off the skins and take out the seeds if you prefer.

I never measure or weigh my tomatoes, but in doing a little searching on the internet, I find that it takes 35-45 pounds of tomatoes to make 7 quarts of sauce. How many tomatoes equals one pound? It totally depends on the tomato. What kind of tomatoes can you use to make sauce? Whatever kind you want. We always plant a variety of tomatoes and throw them all together into our sauce.

Because tomatoes are very acidic (especially heirloom tomatoes), I’m not terribly concerned about adding lemon juice to my sauce. However, if you feel more comfortable adding lemon juice for safety, you’ll want to use about 2 Tablespoons in each quart jar.

Now, how to make Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce:

First wash your tomatoes (unless you enjoy the grit of soil from your garden…mmm).

Next, cut up your tomatoes and throw them into a roasting pan or any large baking dish. I usually cut my larger tomatoes into fourths and my smaller tomatoes in half.

Place the container of tomatoes (uncovered) into a 350° oven for about 1 1/2 hours or until the tomatoes are all shrivelled up and are floating in their own juices.

Run them through a strainer so that all you have left is the shrivelled tomatoes.

Place the tomatoes in a blender until smooth. Or better yet!! Run them through a Victorio!!!

Can them in a water bath (you can read more about this process here) for 25-30 minutes.

Are you a canner? Have you ever tried making tomato sauce this way?