Tomato Glut: What to do When the Compost Pile is Full

I've made salad, sauce, soup, salsa and juice.  I've pureed, mash, strained and peeled.  I've frozen, canned and thrown away.  And every time I go down to the potager there are more.  There are now more green ones than all the ripe ones put together.  In an effort to reproduce before winter they are ripening at lightening speed.  I picked 20 on Friday, 28 on Saturday and on Sunday, well....I didn't go.  God only knows what I'll find today.  Before you ask why I planted too many - I planted the same as I do every year.  This year was just, well, BIG! 
Fortunately Lisa, over at Champaign Taste was roasting tomatoes.  So, less work: no peeling, puréeing, mashing or straining; I grabbed that thought like a life raft.  Besides, it's been cool and we don't want to turn the furnace on yet so having the oven on all day is a good idea..... 
The first thing I made (after the roasting) was Tomato, Cannellini and Pasta soup using the roasted tomatoes instead of fresh....Wonderful.  I used a whole pan of roasted regular tomatoes and made a big batch of soup.  We have a friend coming for the vendange so I need extra food on hand.  Next day I roasted another pan (8 1/2" x 13" glass baking dish - full of chopped tomatoes - see 1st photo).  Since I didn't know what time he would be arriving I wanted to be able to throw a quick meal together.  This is about as quick as I can do - assuming, of course, that the 5 hours of roasting is done ahead:
Pasta with Herbs, Tuna and Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
Fill a baking dish with quartered (or 'eighthed') regular tomatoes.  Bake at 300F (150C) for 4 - 6 hours.  I ended up with about 1 litre (bit more than a quart)
3 cans tuna (5 oz cans)
3 tbs snipped fresh basil
3 tbs snipped fresh chives
2 cups dried penne pasta
Cook pasta.  Drain tuna and break up.  Snip herbs.  Gently reheat tomatoes if not hot.  Combine all and serve.  Easy, huh?
That took care of the red and yellow, 'regular' tomatoes.  I still had the Romas.  Fortunately my oven can do more than one thing at time.  Those I just cut in half, dipped in olive oil and herbs and let the oven do the rest.  (For more complete instructions check Champaign Taste)  They were in the oven with the others but, while the regular tomatoes ended up roasted but somewhat juicy and with a very thick sauce, these ended up looking like, well, roasted tomatoes.  They're wonderful as is or chopped and put into sauce.   A few went into the Veal with Wild Mushroom Sauce in place of the fresh...as well as on the plate for the veg.  As to the rest: I have one bowl in the fridge that everyone knows about; that is disappearing fast although no one admits to eating any.  I have another bowl that's hidden in the back....plus, there is always the potager and the possibility certainty of making more.  Now that the dreaded courgette zucchini have stopped I can go back to the garden in safety....

Comments

[deedee]

I have a very small garden, but next year, I want to plant a few tomatoes, if only to get enough to do the oven roasted tomatoes. Yum!

[Jann Mumford]

Well, if I lived a bit closer, I would be over to collect some of those extra tomatoes.....when I can get "vine ripe fresh " tomatoes.....there is no stopping me! the recipes are wonderful...thanks for sharing..Happy Cooking

[Mimi]

So the harvest is prolific over there, too! We've had a banner year for everything here in Wisconsin, Katie.

[Lisa]

Tomato mania! I'm so glad the roasting idea worked out so well. That soup, especially, looks fabulous; I'm going to try it. It's cool here, too, so definitely oven-on and soup-making weather. Now -- if only I had as many tomatoes as you do . . .

I'm honored that you mentioned me! Thanks.

[Katie]

Fresh tomatoes are one of my absolute 'must haves'...even if I'm complaining about the glut I'm still smiling. Anyone hear of the song "There's only two things that money can't buy, and that's true love and home-growed tomatoes"