Tomato Sauce

August is the month when it all comes together for tomato growers.  In my hoop house, though the tomato plants have lost their original lush growth through pruning to control bacteria, the vines are heavy with fruit in various stages of ripening. And they are so delicious.
It's probably not fair for me to boast here about these culinary delights since we're not offering vegetables at the Farmer's Market this season. However ... I can't resist!
While I've been busy canning tomatoes in quart and pint jars, I need to turn more of them into this wonderful roasted tomato sauce.
It all starts like this:

That's an assortment of my wonderful heirloom tomatoes, layered in a large rimmed baking pan lined with parchment paper, sprinkled with salt and drizzled with olive oil Add a liberal amount of crushed whole garlic cloves and roast in the oven set at 425 degrees. It takes some time but keep a close watch after an hour or so, depending upon the juiciness of the tomatoes you've chosen. (I tell you this because this batch of sauce pictured here scorched when I failed to keep close track of it!)
Allow it to cool then pass through a food mill to remove skins and seeds. Package and freeze.

Now a brief note about a fall crop ... APPLES! We will be offering our USDA certified organic apples for sale as they ripen. We will have both high quality large eating apples and "seconds" which are apples with some imperfections but perfect for applesauce, pie filling etc. In addition, we will be having cider pressed by a processor again this year. This year you will need to order in advance and take delivery on the day it's processed. More details will be announced but if you'd like to be put on a list for either, please email at metzgerfarm@gmail.com