[JayG]

I gently cook some chopped shallots in olive oil until softened, then chopped garlic for a few more minutes, then fill up with whichever ripe toms are available at the time. That's cooked slowly down until it's the right consistency, then I add chopped courgettes (oh yes, but not compulsory of course!) and possibly pitted olives, heat through, and finish with chopped parsley or basil.

If I feel like making it look more professional I use a hand blender to blitz it down before the courgette stage - skinning tomatoes is definitely in the 'life's too short' category for me!

It all then gets frozen in ex-takeaway plastic boxes for use in winter, usually just 'nuking' straight from the freezer, adding tuna or salami, then stirring into pasta with grated cheese sprinkled over to finish (I love it!  )

(My 'scientific juices' have been stirred by Auntiemogs' mention of what is in effect a type of 'freeze concentrating' the tomatoes - might have to experiment with this to see if it's possible to get rid of some of the water without losing too much juice, because reducing down by evaporation in any sort of pan certainly takes rather a long time unless you're prepared to risk burning it.)

[Growster...]

Thanks all, for these ideas!

Of course, with a fried tom addiction to cure, they may never get that far, but my theory is to plant as many as you have room for, then a few more, because if you get blighted, at least you've had the volume of crops at the beginning of the season...

Well, that's my reasoning anyway..;0)

[sunshineband]

That's very similar to what I do JayG, except I add spices as well, which are fried off in a small frying pan and then stirred in.

I do skin the tomatoes, and put the flesh plus other ingredients, straight into the blender before cooking it up.

When it good and thick I bottle it and then waterbath for 20 minutes with lids not quite tight. Tighten them up at the end and then wait for the 'button' on the lid to pop down. Saves on freezer space 

[Auntiemogs]

Thanks all, for these ideas!

Of course, with a fried tom addiction to cure, they may never get that far, but my theory is to plant as many as you have room for, then a few more, because if you get blighted, at least you've had the volume of crops at the beginning of the season...

Well, that's my reasoning anyway..;0)

If you can't fry em, freeze em Mr G. 

[LotuSeed]

New to the forum, but not new to canning (or bottling if you will). You can use any type of tomato for making sauce but the best candidates are Roma, Amish Paste, San Marzano and possibly Oxheart varieties. Last year I used a mix of slicing tomatoes and paste types. This year I stuck to paste type and Romas. Plants are laden with trusses and though they're determinate varieties they are ripening at different times,so as they're ready to pick I just pop em in my freezer until I have enough to make sauce. (It also cuts down significantly on the time spent reducing it and save time on peeling skins if you freeze the first and let thaw. The skins should slip off and you should be able to drain off excess liquid quite easily.) Last year I processed over 100lbs. This year I hope to do even more!
Happy Growing

[Growster...]

That's all very interesting,  Lotuseed!

And a big welcome to you, because many of us here are tomato fanatics and even an hour ago, Mrs Growster was discussing how the hell we preserve our extra toms!

I just want to eat them. ..;0)

[devonbarmygardener]

If you bung them in the freezer first, Mr G, a lot of the water will come out when they're defrosted (they're also much easier to peel if you don't want the skins in the sauce). 

That's a great tip

Boiled my last lot then pushed them through a colanders with the potato masher not as smooth as a sieve but FAR less hassle.

That's a great tip too Lardman - I have one of those fancy potato ricers with several sized sieve things that go with it - might give that a go with the finest one.

I certainly can't afford a passata maker  I don't get paid until tomorrow and I'm already minus £114 
I hate September. Always extra bills in September - including having to pay for the privilege of being a nurse

Can't earn any money without paying my nursing Pin number annual fee - no-win situation there

[Growster...]

Devon, I'm with you in my heart.

It's a struggle, and I do wish you well - dare I say it, but most of us have been there, so pop me a PM if you want a bit of sympathy, and I'll try and make life easier for you!

Bummer sometimes, isn't it.

[devonbarmygardener]

Devon, I'm with you in my heart.

It's a struggle, and I do wish you well - dare I say it, but most of us have been there, so pop me a PM if you want a bit of sympathy, and I'll try and make life easier for you!

Bummer sometimes, isn't it.

Thanks
Feeling sorry for myself as I'm off sick tonight with a high temperature - that and poverty are making me maudlin 

[Headgardener22]

Oxheart and beefsteak varieties (I like Black Krim or Mortgage Lifter). I don't see any point in growing paste varieties as I find them tasteless for any other use.

[mumofstig]

Oxheart and beefsteak varieties (I like Black Krim or Mortgage Lifter). I don't see any point in growing paste varieties as I find them tasteless for any other use.

Some of them do, indeed, only taste good when cooked and that's why some of us grow them - precisely because they make better sauces.
I don't expect to use them in salads, by the same token I don't expect to make a really good passata from cherry or slicing salad tomatoes.

[New shoot]

My fave for sauce making is Chocolate Cherokee, from the seeds you gave me a couple of years ago Mum 

You don't get masses of fruit, but the toms are enormous and are virtually all flesh.  I cover them with boiling water to get the skins off, then slice them into a pan of onion and garlic softened in olive oil.  There are only a few small seed cavities through the whole fruit.  I use my thumb to decant these into a small bowl so I can save seeds.  Then I just add herbs and seasoning and allow to simmer away on a low heat until the sauce thickens.  As these toms are so meaty, this doesn't take long at all 

They are a big ugly underneath, like most beefsteaks and they are OK raw, but they come into their own for sauce and are also good dried in the dehydrator cut into chunks.  I just chuck the dried pieces into winter stews and sauces for a little hit of summer sunshine 

If I have a mix of other toms, I use the same method to make sauce, but it is noticable how much longer it takes to reduce down.

[Headgardener22]

Oxheart and beefsteak varieties (I like Black Krim or Mortgage Lifter). I don't see any point in growing paste varieties as I find them tasteless for any other use.

Some of them do, indeed, only taste good when cooked and that's why some of us grow them - precisely because they make better sauces.
I don't expect to use them in salads, by the same token I don't expect to make a really good passata from cherry or slicing salad tomatoes.

My problem with paste tomatoes is that (for some reason) I've never been able to grow large quantities of Italian tomatoes but I am relatively successful with beefsteaks and I find that the black and red beefsteaks make excellent rich, dark sauces.

Its a good job we all have our own favourites otherwise we'd not keep all the different varieties going .

[LotuSeed]

Admittedly I had to look up what "passata" is and what a "passata" machine looks like. Here in the States we call the machine a food mill lol. Not so interesting sounding when you put it that way  Anyway loads of people use ones made by a company called Victorio to make sauce "passata-passed, as in, passed through the strainer ? .
I've considered getting one as they can be used with lots of other produce like berries for jelly, but, I bought an immersion blender instead to smooth out my sauce. (Cheaper than a passata machine too!)  Last year I put the tomatoes in a regular blender. It worked that way, but with the immersion blender I simply threw the toms in the pot and blended. Did I mention they're great for making applesauce as well!

I don't know if I'd be able to grow enough tomatoes to make as much pasta and pizza sauce as is like. So I go to a pick-your-own farm and bring home loads. I'm still getting lots of fruit from my own backyard garden, both paste and slicing varieties, but it doesn't all ripen at once so into the freezer they go. The pick your own farm is how I get enough at once to make sauce.
Cheers

[devonbarmygardener]

Admittedly I had to look up what "passata" is and what a "passata" machine looks like. Here in the States we call the machine a food mill lol. Not so interesting sounding when you put it that way  Anyway loads of people use ones made by a company called Victorio to make sauce "passata-passed, as in, passed through the strainer ? .
I've considered getting one as they can be used with lots of other produce like berries for jelly, but, I bought an immersion blender instead to smooth out my sauce. (Cheaper than a passata machine too!)  Last year I put the tomatoes in a regular blender. It worked that way, but with the immersion blender I simply threw the toms in the pot and blended. Did I mention they're great for making applesauce as well!

I don't know if I'd be able to grow enough tomatoes to make as much pasta and pizza sauce as is like. So I go to a pick-your-own farm and bring home loads. I'm still getting lots of fruit from my own backyard garden, both paste and slicing varieties, but it doesn't all ripen at once so into the freezer they go. The pick your own farm is how I get enough at once to make sauce.
Cheers

Hello
The passata makers (from what I can gather) remove the tomato seeds - like a strainer - as I was told by a chef on Zakynthos (oddly) that it is the seeds which make tomato sauces bitter.
Hence I was after a passata maker - but I'm going to give my potato ricer a go on the finest setting/sieve 

I killed my hand blender (it had been my granny's so it had a good innings ) and then invested in a food processor with a jug blender for my soups