This was a welcomed surprise to help us with a basket of beautiful tomatoes a neighbor dropped off that we knew we could not eat before they went bad. There are several posts about freezing tomatoes, which may work fine, but having a pint sized jar of a basic sauce at hand with fresh tomatoes seemed like and even better option. This comes from the Homestead and Chill site with few minor tweaks. The key is to not use oil if you are going to can and store them.
For this you’ll need: Whole tomatoes (any kind, even cherries, cored and cut into 1/2 or 1/4ths depending on size), 1 red onion (cut into 1/8ths), 4 or 5 garlic cloves (smashed and peeled but whole), fresh basil, salt, pepper.
Preheat the oven to 425 and line one or several (depending on how many tomatoes you have) large baking trays with parchment
Core the tomatoes and cut into 1/4 pieces for large 1/2 for small then lay them skin down on lined tray. Add a few crushed/peeled garlic cloves and 1/8 slices red onion around the edges. Sprinkle everything with salt and pepper. Do not add oil!
Bake for 45 mins rotating the tray 1/2 way through. Remove, cool slightly and place everything into blender along with all of the collected juices in the tray. Add fresh basil to your liking (we used about 1/2 cup). Blend everything together until smooth.
Place the sauce into sterilized jars with 1/2” left open at the top. Add 1 Tbs lemon juice to each pint (16oz) sized jar, stir into sauce then finger tighten the tops. Place jars upright into a boiling water bath that covers most of the glass but not all Boil, vigorously, in covered pot for 40 mins.
Remove from water and let stand until room temp (several hours). Store in cool/dark place for up to 1 year
