End of season panic

I've been feeling really panicky lately.

The farmers market ended for the season on Saturday.

No more tomatoes until next August.

Seriously.  August.  I live that far north.

So I've been in last-ditch tomato-preservation mode.  I've already canned 17 quarts of tomatoes and was feeling a little burnt out, so something else was in order.

I read a lot of food blogs, and one recipe that I kept running across was slow-roasted tomatoes.  They looked gorgeous, sounded delicious, and certainly piqued my interest.

Then, a few weeks ago I brought home a container of slow-roasted tomatoes from the Minneapolis Food Swap.  They were one of the best things I've ever eaten.  They have a tart, incredibly concentrated flavor, and they're not tough like some commercial sun-dried tomatoes can be.  And, best of all, they freeze (and thaw) really well!

Between running across the recipe everywhere and then actually getting to experience the amazingness that are slow-roasted tomatoes, they seemed like the perfect way to supplement canning in my frenzy to preserve one of my favorite summer fruits.

So last week I bought a $5 bucket of Roma tomatoes.  I laid them out on newspaper to finish ripening without getting rotten spots.

A few days later they were ready to go, so I rinsed them...

...and cut them into quarters.  On the baking sheet, I drizzled them with olive oil and sprinked with salt and pepper.

Then I roasted them, slowly, for about five hours.  Yes, it takes a while.  It's worth it.

 When they were done, I let them cool, ate a lot of them, and put the rest in the freezer!

Here's the recipe with more details (adapted from Smitten Kitchen):

Roma tomatoes (or any pear or even cherry tomatoes--regular globe tomatoes might have too much liquid, but that is my entirely unprofessional advice)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Wash tomatoes and half or quarter depending on size.  It doesn't really matter, but smaller pieces will cook faster.

Arrange tomatoes on covered baking sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil--I used 1 Tbs per baking sheet.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Don't overdo it!  These really don't need much added flavor.

Roast at 225 for about five hours, checking every hour or so.  Tomatoes should be shriveled, but not completely dried out.  Five hours is how long it took in my oven.  Times could vary drastically.

Are you enjoying my super-exact scientific recipes?