Preserving your summer tomatoes
Helping your summer last forever
Amigos, I hope you enjoyed your Labor Day weekend! It still feels like summer, but we are marching towards fall faster than you can blink. For now, we can still enjoy all the amazing summer produce that’s still at the farmer’s markets, or in your home garden. And one of my favorite things to enjoy in season is tomatoes—they’re special, because the season where they are the ripest and juiciest doesn’t last in many parts of the country (unless you are lucky enough to live in Southern California or Florida…or New Jersey??). Of course Spain celebrates La Tomatina every year, in the Valencian town of Buñol—where more than 150,000 pounds of tomatoes are thrown around the town’s Plaza del Pueblo (and of course, we’re celebrating at Jaleo in DC, Chicago, and Las Vegas!).
The last two summers, I’ve given you some ideas for what to do with your late-season tomatoes…whether it’s my wife’s gazpacho (still one of the most popular recipes on Longer Tables), homemade bloody Mary mix, or the simple but amazing Spanish pan con tomate, there are plenty of things you can do to use them up! I’d love to hear about what you do to use up your tomatoes.
Today, I want to give you another idea—preserved tomatoes. As you probably know by now, we love to can and preserve things in Spain. Of course I would tell you it’s because we have some of the best products in the world! And that’s true, but it’s also practical. Like the amazing white asparagus from Navarra, which has such a short growing season that you want to have a jar of it as soon as the season ends. We also have incredible tuna, and when it’s caught and immediately packed in olive oil, the flavors of the sea are preserved and it turns into something you can keep in your pantry and use year round. And I know so many people love those Other Canned Plum Tomatoes from Another European Country that’s not Spain, but you should definitely try Spanish canned tomatoes, because ours are sweet, rich and versatile.
Preserving your own tomatoes is a very easy way to enjoy them when you can’t get ripe, in-season tomatoes, and you really can use them for everything—from sauces and soups to sofritos (and even salsas!). There is something so comforting about opening a jar of tomatoes in the middle of the winter, inhaling their sweet, slightly acidic aroma, and transporting yourself to summer, just for a moment. And people, trust me, you can do this! All you need are your extra tomatoes, a large Mason jar, and a little bit of Spanish extra virgin olive oil (like Arbequina). Let me know how it goes, and what you plan to do with them!
Preserved Tomatoes