I pretend to be a great gardener, which really just means I over-plant and my garden constantly needs weeding. My over-planting of tomatoes this summer resulted in lots of canned and frozen salsa that is currently brightening the winter cold at my house.

Not much can beat freshly made salsa in January. It is bright, tangy, and tastes like sunshine. I canned roasted-tomato salsa this summer (which I call Summer in a Jar), but it can be made anytime with (yes, non-local, shipped from who-knows-where) grocery store tomatoes. I do feel a bit guilty about suggesting it, but to make up for it, I’m including a recipe!

This summer I fell in love with slow roasting fresh tomatoes. It concentrates the flavor of the tomatoes like nothing else AND requires almost no effort. After roasting, the tomatoes lose about half of their volume but are still quite juicy and delicious. They also make your whole house smell like warmth. I hope you try roasting tomatoes (they are also great on pasta!).

Roasting Tomatoes:
Roma tomatoes work best for roasting, but other varieties are just fine. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise (or quarter if they are larger than a Roma) and toss them in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Arrange them on sheet pans, skin-side down in one layer and sprinkle with salt. Roast at 200 degrees for 6 to 8 hours. I do the roasting overnight; they don’t need turning or tossing. When they are done, they will be significantly reduced in size, the skins papery and wrinkled at the edges. I prefer removing the skins, which is quite easy once the roasting is done and the tomatoes have cooled to the touch: simply pull the skins off.

Summer in a Jar (or Roasted Tomato Salsa)
approx. 5 pounds of tomatoes, slow roasted and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 jalapenos, chopped
½ cup lime juice
1 handful cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons salt

Mix the salsa ingredients and let sit for 15-20 minutes before tasting. You may want to adjust flavors to suit your taste. Every batch of salsa I make is a little different depending on the strength of the onion, garlic, and jalapenos. The salsa can be eaten immediately or frozen for in bags for later.

Enjoy a bit of summer in the middle of winter!

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