Today at the farmer’s market Lane’s End Farm was selling baskets of “ugly” organic tomatoes for $1.50 per ound. While most people would look at the misshapen, bumpy, and uneven colored tomatoes with suspicion, I knew I found a little gold mine! My favorite was this two-for-one tomato that looked like a portly and friendly chap. How could I go wrong with him??

I happily bought two baskets and brought them home. I sliced one for my sandwich at lunch and it was delicious. But, I knew if didn’t act fast the rest would turn bad before I had the chance to finish them.

So, tonight I took a few minutes to tend to them. I washed each tomato and lightly cut an “X” in the bottom of each. I then brought a large pot of water to a boil and dropped in the tomatoes. After two minutes, I removed the tomatoes and put them into a large bowl of ice water. Once they were cooled, I easily slipped off the skins and removed the cores.

At this point, most homemakers would likely can or jar the tomatoes so they’ll last through the winter. But, I don’t have the necessary jarring equipment (yet) so I had to make do with what was available. I put the peeled tomatoes into glass jars, leaving room at the top. The jars were put into the freezer, waiting for a night sometime soon when I am in the mood for a fresh tomato sauce!