We are harvesting many tomatoes a day. Several get eaten for meals, of course (my latest favorite is scrambled eggs with tomato, shallots, garlic, and basil, served with a slice of my sourdough spread with burrata cheese), but when I get a small bunch that need to be used right away, and it's not enough for a big canning project, I make a roasted sauce for the freezer. You could also pressure-can this sauce, but you can't water-bath can, as the acid is likely not high enough for that. All you need are your tomatoes, some fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, and coarse sea salt (or kosher).

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. You'll spread the chopped tomatoes on baking sheets, adding as much chopped garlic and basil as you like. Then lash everything with a good glug of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Roast for 30-40 minutes, moving your sheets around halfway, until the tomatoes have softened and everything smells heavenly. Leave to cool for a bit, then load up your containers for the freezer. Make sure to label them with the date!

This makes a great lunch sometime in the dead of winter, when you're craving some summer flavors. If you're not growing your own tomatoes, there's nothing to stop you going to your local farmers market, and choosing a flat of delicious, multi-colored, delightfully misshapen, heirloom tomatoes from your local farmer. Eat some fresh, and make sauce for the freezer. Do this every weekend, and your cold season will be made just a little bit warmer.

I'm still picking our tomatoes just before ripe and keeping them on the piano to ripen further.

With all the creatures we have visiting our garden and night and taking nibbles, this is the only way I am assured a supply! We have so many different kinds and colors, that we have to check for ripeness by feel rather than by color. When they are soft, they are ready to eat. Soon, I'll have enough all at once to do a big batch of crushed tomatoes for the canner, or possibly tomato paste, depending on the variety. Tomato season is exciting!