It's Uncanny

I am getting this strange urge to return to home preserved foods. We have been enjoying the 'fruits' of our labors this past winter. I am setting higher goals for the coming year.
Some of the foods I plan to 'put up' include:
more tomatoes
more marinara
much more salsa
vegetable soup
vegetable juice
mushrooms
freezer tomato sauce
peaches
pears
grape juice
frozen corn
pumpkin chunks and frozen pureed pumpkin
....the list goes on from there.
I have discovered some great recipes. I am fearful of losing them and therefore am putting them on this blog as a back up to the myriad of folders with yellowed worn loose papers that I cherish.
In fact, I was grateful to have relocated this Freezer tomato sauce recipe that we enjoyed this past winter. Please note that it isn't really 'saucy' but when I added this instead of the store bought canned variety, it was delicious.
I found it in the little magazine insert in the Clipper last fall.
I will give it as it was in the paper with side notes of what I actually did in italics.(As usual)
Theresa's Freezer Tomato Sauce

16 large ripe but firm heirloom tomatoes. I used our good old Better Boys from the garden
1/2 c torn fresh basil leaves (From the garden again)
6-8 cloves garlic thickly sliced
2 TB white balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 TB sea salt
Ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350*. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut an X in the bottom of each tomato and place on the parchment X side up. Bake 20 to 30 minutes until the skin starts to pull away at the X. Remove from oven and let tomatoes cool. When cool enough to handle peel skin away from meat using a sharp knife. Work over a large non reactive bowl to catch juices. Coarsely chop tomatoes in bowl with knife, scissors or tear with hands. Add basil,garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper. Put into freezer containers. Freeze for up to 6 months. I used BALL plastic cup things. They worked great. They suggest glass bottles or bags also. I used a cup of this last week and it was still good. It has been slightly over 6 months.....I will still use it for the next little while. This makes about 12 cups depending on the size of the tomatoes.
The following recipe comes for a good friend L. R.
Thanks L! It is great. We have used it for spaghetti sauce, lasagna sauce and pizza sauce. It is also great to dip bread in!

Marinara Sauce
I am recording it the way she makes it.
50 c. blended tomatoes (1 bushel) She also gave me a smaller version, but we will need this much of the recipe!
1 #10 (11oz) can tomato paste
3 c. dried onions
15 Bay leaves
1 1/2 TB garlic powder
1 C Oregano leaves
2 TB. Fennel
1 c.Basil leaves
3/4 c. Salt
1 1/2 T. Pepper
1 1/2 c. Oil
1 c. Sugar
Simmer until it reduces to desired thickness. Add 1/2 tsp. lemon juice to each pint or 1 tsp. per quart. Process 35 minutes.
I hope to add my vegetable juice in a near future post.
Hurray for self sufficiency.