A quick and easy recipe for using up any last autumn gluts from the garden.  Ready to eat in 3 months – the perfect homemade gift.

Ingredients:

• 3lb Marrow/ overgrown courgettes (skin & de-seed if tough)
• 1lb Onions
• 1lb Tomatoes (use green ones if that’s all you have left)
• 1lb Crunchy veg (such as cabbage, runner beans, chard stems)
• 6 good sized Garlic cloves
• 1oz Root Ginger
• 1oz Mustard seed
• 1.5 pints Vinegar (use any: white, cider, spiced – I used cider vinegar)
• Spices to taste (paprika, ginger, cayenne)
• 2tsp Salt
• 2oz Sugar

Method:

1. Chop all veg into small pieces (think Branston pickle sized chunks) and place in a large flat-bottomed pan
2. Add vinegar, sugar, salt & spices and bring to the boil.
3. Simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally (don’t let it stick!)
4. Pour into hot, sterile jars & seal

Although we have had more than our average sun quota this year, sadly its not lasted long enough to take full advantage for sun-drying our harvests.  So here is a simple recipe to make the most out of your cherry tomato glut and provide a mouth watering taste of summer in the deepest winter months.

It does take some time to oven dry your produce, so make sure you choose a time when you will be around for 2-3 hours.   Perhaps use this time to look through some lovely organic seed catalogues and daydream about next year’s plans.

You will need:

Cherry tomatoes – de-stalked, washed, dried and any dodgy ones removed

Olive Oil – for brushing

Salt & herbs for seasoning

Method:

• Turn on oven to a low heat (around 120C / GM 1 or lower).
• Line a large baking tray with baking paper or parchment and place a wire rack over this.
• Slice your prepared tomatoes in half and lay out cut side facing up on the wire rack.  For added ease, I highly recommend this fabulous 1-minute tutorial on how to cut multiple tomatoes: https://www.wimp.com/a-simple-technique-for-cutting-cherry-tomatoes-in-half/

• Brush the tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and herbs of your choice.  Basil or Marjoram are good with tomatoes.
• Pop in the oven checking on the tomatoes’ progress periodically to make sure they are cooking evenly; they will probably fall through the wire rack, but don’t worry about that.
• Continue to cook until they are squishy but not juicy (or you can decide for yourself the perfect consistency you want from a sun-dried tom).
• Either use these in pasta dishes immediately, or you can further preserve them by either freezing or bottling.  I have frozen mine in one-meal quantities for easy use. Try searching on line if you want to preserve them in oil – this will take a bit more effort.