Fast and Local Pasta Sauce, Year ‘Round

In Zone 4, it looks like we have a chance at a hard frost every night this week.

That pretty much spells the end for most of my garden.  I spent the morning pulling as many ripening tomatoes as I could off the vines.  I processed the ripe ones and left the ripening ones on paper on the back porch to be processed as they ripen.

This afternoon I will pull as much basil and oregano as I can to freeze for sauce.

This is our last chance to hit the farmer’s market for some local fare to put up for winter.

Bushels of tomatoes will arrive at the market this week to be sold quickly before they can go bad.  Buy as many as you can carry and pull the basil and oregano (or buy some) to put away the ingredients for a fresh and local sauce to enjoy all winter long.

This is a modification of a Cook’s Illustrated Smooth Pasta Sauce.  It’s quick and easy and can be used on pasta or pizzas.  Fresh herbs like basil and oregano seal and freeze well.  Added to recipes, they taste just like they just came from the garden.

I freeze mine in recipe ready packets, making this an even easier sauce.

Fast and Fresh Local Tomato Sauce

• 3 pints of tomato puree
• ¼ c. fresh chopped basil
• 2 T. fresh chopped oregano
• ¼ c. olive oil
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 t. salt
• ½ t. fresh ground pepper

1. Heat a large pan and add oil.
2. Add garlic to hot oil.
3. Add tomatoes to pan (quickly, don’t let the garlic begin to brown)
4. Add the remaining ingredients and cook on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Adjust salt, sugar, and pepper to taste.  Home canned tomatoes tend to be more acidic than store bought tomatoes and may need some additional adjustments to the recipe.