Getting Stewed

Look people, don't put off making something with your tomatoes until the END of the summer. Start now! I decided to make something with my bounty of tomatoes BEFORE it got out of control and I had to make several things at once or give most of them away. Since I still have more tomatoes coming I wanted to get ahead of the game.

My grandmother (Me-mom) always made stewed tomatoes. Her southern way was to cook them forever and she used so much sugar in it that they were DARK red. Almost too dark. They were also so sweet that they were almost like a dessert, you only put a small spoonful on the side of your plate.

Here's to you Me-mom, I love ya but I'd prefer my sugar in my cookies!

Stewed Tomatoes

24 large tomatoes - peeled, seeded and chopped (you can also use cans of diced tomatoes)
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 tablespoon white sugar
salt and pepper to taste
4-6 slices of stale bread

In a crockpot, combine tomatoes, celery, onion, bell pepper, salt/pepper and sugar. Cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 hours or until vegetables are soft. A few minutes before serving cube your bread and stir into tomato mixture. The bread is essential to thicken up your 'stew' so it's not as watery.

Makes about 8-10 cups.

Cooks Notes: Let your stewed tomatoes come to room temperature before you put them into containers to freeze. Be sure to leave room at the top of the container (about an inch). The mixture will expand when frozen.

TUNE in tomorrow to see how I varied the use of my stewed tomatoes!

Enjoy!