Slow Roasted Garden Tomatoes

Tomatoes are only part of my diet when they are fresh from the garden. Here is one of my favorite ways to eat them and preserve them for winter. You can do this with any variety of tomato, but I’m partial to Romas or other small varieties.

Ingredients:

  • A cookie sheet full of Roma tomatoes (or similar) sliced in half lengthwise. Approximately 1-2 dozen.

  • Sea Salt

  • 1/2 cup to 1 cup olive oil (depending on how many tomatoes you have)

  • 1 Tablespoon minced fresh oregano

  • 2 garlic cloves

Step 1: Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Put the halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet just large enough to hold them. Sprinkle generously with salt. Combine the olive oil, oregano, and garlic, then let sit for 10 minutes to infused. Spoon or brush the mixture over the tomatoes evenly.

Step 2: Bake the tomatoes, basting occasionally, until they are soft and beginning to caramelize, about 3 hours.

Step 3: Using a spatula, transfer the tomatoes to a serving platting. Serve warm with crackers and cream cheese or fresh ricotta, onto a salad, chopped up in eggs, in between grilled cheese—or lets be honest they are perfect on top of homemade Mac and cheese. These can also be frozen and enjoyed during the winter.

GROWERS NOTES

To grow beautiful tomatoes like these here are 3 tips:

  1. Add a lot of calcium to your garden every year in the form on Garden Gypsum. This will help them in many ways but in particular with bottom rot.

  2. Stake up and prune so they do not touch the ground.

  3. Provide consistent watering with a drip system so they don’t split.

Buon Appetito!

Gina

Gina SchleyFoodComment