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Everyone's got tomato stories... The turkey roasting pan gets a second use this year

...so I thought I would post a tale too.

I read a lot, and am usually not terribly forgetful about what it is I read, but I am now realizing--a big smacks-forehead moment--that I need to credit someone's writing for many of my recent thoughts. You see, I read this book when it first came out: I got it at the library. I was a city girl at the time, and lived a very organic life in my own small city plot. But somehow, though I loved the book, it didn't stick, at least obviously, in my thinking about my new life here in the country.

But enough of you have either listed this book as a favorite or have simply mentioned it that I actually spent money (!) and bought it. I've been rereading it this week. So when I read things that she says like

"...it is difficult for me to take seriously the question of whether eating locally is worth the trouble. Clearly it is for me. Trying to understand why, I have realized that my own commitment is probably driven by three things. The first is the taste of live food; the second is my relation to frugality; the third is my deep concern about the state of the planet.

As is surely obvious in all I have written to date, the production and consumption of fresh local food is so rich an experience for me that I find it hard to imagine how I would live if I couldn't grow what I eat and eat what I grow."

I say, sing it, sister!

So. No tomato story. How about a tomato thought:

Joan's Tomato Glut Sauce (adapted from the NYTimes)

* Very optional. I used pepper, eggplant and yellow squash in mine (it's a color thing) and I used all the tomatoes that happened to be fresh TODAY. It's Glut Sauce, you know...
Posted by El at 6:57 PM evilwoman said...

I read a lot too, but I've never read Joan's book! Thanks for the link. "Tomato Glut" came in a timely fashion too - right when I'm thinking - wish I had something new to do with all the rest of these tomatoes! I canned, I froze, I made salsa...

The moniker is a pet name from hubby. We live in a small town in Texas - population of 764 southern baptists. I'm an atheist. After they get to know me, they always say "How sweet and goodhearted I am for an atheist" LOL Then they try to convert my me...
So hubby started calling me evilwoman. :)

BTW, I've really been enjoying your blog!
 
I love that book. Much of my thinking about food and place and home over the past five years has been formed by that reading.

I'm just about to turn the oven off on my slow roasted tomato sauce (with shallots, cipollini onion, red russian garlic and eggplant. I tossed in fresh herbs for the last hour of the 4 hour cooking (opal basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, greek oregano and marjoram. Smells soooooo good.

But I wouldn't call it a glut. Just enough tomatoes ready to make one batch. Definitely need to plan a spot with more sun for next year.
 
EW: Okay, that makes a lot more sense~! We got quite a few knocks at our door when we moved in, too: luckily, that has stopped. I understand the motivation but they're barking up the wrong tree here. (And I am glad you like the blog!)

Kelly: you puffy-heart love that book, if I am remembering correctly! Your sauce sounds just delicious too. I adore cipollinis, but haven't "given over" to the urge to grow my own; I have enough troubles growing enough storage ones for the winter. Sigh. And I have been known to take down trees for more sun in my garden, so I understand the urge!
 
I just cooked this up tonight and it's a great recipe. Thanks for posting this!
 lucette said...

I love Joan's book, too--I've owned 2 copies of it, lent them both out and never got them back. Probably because they couldn't bear to give it up (or at least I hope so). When I get a 3rd copy, I'm going to hang on to it.
 Tips for living a la Alice Waters: 
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