Adventures in Tomatoes

My local supermarket had a terrific deal on fresh tomatoes.  I figured it would be a terrific opportunity to try out a couple canning recipes to see how it all turned out.  Last year I was given a large bushel of green tomatoes which I turned into a fabulous chutney, but this year I want to try some whole tomatoes and salsas.

My friend and I have plans to head East to the farms for large quantities of produce, but this is a decent size to start experimenting with.  Half of them I washed, cored and quartered the tomatoes, and then opted to drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper and roast in the oven for about an hour.  Then into the jars they went.  Check out these beauties:

While all the recipes for tomatoes I found say to remove the seeds, I opted to leave them in, as that's how my mom and great-grandmother always canned them.  I'm happy that I did.  Look how gorgeous!

The remaining tomatoes I made into a quick and easy salsa.  I wasn't feeling the recipes so I opted to wing it.  Chunky tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, cilantro, garlic powder, a little extra tomato sauce for liquid.  I cooked the mixture for just ten minutes, as the 30 minute processing time combined with the 40 minute recommended cooking time left me fearing I would end up with a slimy tomato salsa paste.  Frankly I was completely unsure on how this was going to turn out.

Look at that chunky goodness!  And the flavor results are simply amazing!  Just a hint of warmth from the peppers, not overly cilantro-ey, nice and chunky and perfectly cooked.  This thrown together recipe is definitely a keeper.  And when I get a "damn good" from my picky brother, I know I've got a winner. :)