We had a great tomato crop this summer and with this fall heat-up, there are still tomatoes ripening on the vine! My family won’t keep up with all the produce even after sharing some with neighbors, so I decided to oven-roast them for use later. Oven-roasted tomatoes are great in salads, sauces… they’re great to substitute for fresh tomatoes in any dish, heck, they’re great for just popping in your mouth, but that’s just me. Actually, I used small slices in my turkey club sandwich the other day.

The tomato flavor is concentrated with a sweetness accentuated only by roasting. And you know, you can freeze your newly shriveled tomatoes for a long time (one of my cookbooks said “indefinitely”). I’d be interested to know how other people preserve their tomatoes.

Back to the oven roasting… if you’re so inclined to try, you’ll have to leave your oven on overnight. Relax. Don’t click to another website. Unless you know that your oven is faulty, (certainly, I don’t know your cooking equipment nor can I take any responsibility for it**), it’ll be okay. It’s worth the wait, and you’ll wake up to a delicious aroma. (Better than when I wake up to my little one’s morning breath which we so fondly call “baby dragon breath”.) Pop them in the oven after dinner, and let it go.

Slow Oven-roasted Tomatoes

• 18-20 ripe tomatoes
• 1/4 olive oil (approximate)
• 1 tablespoon of each – salt, pepper, and sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons each – fresh thyme and rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon sage or oregano (optional)

Heat oven to 170 degrees (or lower if your oven can do it – mine does not). Prepare tomatoes by slicing in half crosswise. Place on a rack that fits on your baking sheet, otherwise, just on the baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil on each tomato so that they are lightly coated. Sprinkle salt, pepper and sugar over the tomatoes. Then finally sprinkle the fresh herbs over the tomatoes. Place in the 170 degree oven, overnight (8-10 hours). Remove from oven and let cool before storing.

** Really, if you think it’s that unsafe to leave your oven on overnight, don’t do it. Be safe!