Earth Day Celebration Harvest Recipe: Tomatoes

April 22, 2012 is Earth Day! 

According to earthday.org, "The idea came to Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the student anti-war movement, he realized that if he could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda."  (continue reading)

I'll be celebrating Earth Day all weekend,  both in the kitchen and in the garden!  It's raining!!

Slow Oven-Roasted Roma Tomatoes

from Food in Jars

It is so easy to do, I feel a little silly offering instructions.

Wash, dry and slice the tomatoes in half.

Lay them out cut-side up on parchment-lined rimmed cookie sheets, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt.

Put in the oven and roast at 200 degrees (truly, no hotter than that) for 10-12 hours.

I realize that sounds like an inconveniently long time, but I tend to do this overnight, timing it so that they’re finished when I get up in the morning. Works perfectly.

 Want to jazz up this recipe? Use basil or garlic infused oil.  Sprinkle with dried basil before roasting. Use your imagination!

Store finished product in a jar or airtight container or freeze and use later in soups, sauce and dips.