♥ → ♥ SUMMER GARDEN COOKING ♥ ← ♥
Determinate tomatoes on the vine ripen all at one time which makes them ideal for a big batch harvest and cooking up some pasta sauce. I found several online recipes for San Marzano Pasta Sauce and combined them to create a custom sauce with lots of garlic and fresh basil. A photo journal below on how to make a simple tomato sauce and I admit this is my first time making pasta sauce completely from scratch. 
Thank you for visiting my garden blog today: http://www.nadiaknows.com
Create – Enjoy – Have Fun!
Fresh off the vine San Marzano Tomatoes
After chopping up the tomatoes I added them to a low heat mixture of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and chopped Garlic.
Medium heat cooking for 10 minutes and then mash the semi- cooked tomatoes with a potato masher.
Sea Salt/Kosher Salt with Herb Blend added with Basil and Crushed Pepper to taste.
Blending with a hand blender right in the pot after 10 minutes of cooking.
All Done... Ready for eating or freezing. The final sauce has a nice bright orange-red color. Home-made sauce has a flavor that just cannot be replicated with store-bought... do you agree? I was amazed at the difference.
Aug 29, 2010 @ 21:25:27
Can you please explain what a “determinate” tomato is? Thanks!
Aug 30, 2010 @ 07:29:34
* Determinate vs. Indeterminate tomato plants: There is a difference between determinate and Indeterminate tomato plants. The determinate tomatoes are an all at once crop bearer and for the most part are a more manageable and compact sized plant.This is a great tomato plant if you plan to do canning and need a batch of tomatoes for a lot of tomato sauce, etc. Indeterminate Tomatoes will bear fruit throughout the growing season, great for picking and eating all summer long.
Aug 31, 2010 @ 14:16:40
Hah! And here I was swooning over your adjectival description of tomato plants that I presumed were filled with resolve to yield, yield, yield! (As opposed to the “indeterminates,” who I imagined vacillating while they tried to make up their minds…) Obviously I’m more a wordsmith than I am a gardener.
Everything on your blog is so luscious and bursting with vitality. Living in the droughted Southwest, I can scarcely imagine all these scenes, sights, smells, textures, “in the flesh.” Love the Maxwell House canplanters, the CSA tour (Oh! The house!), and the beauty shots of the succulents. Given our synchronous journeys, I hold hope that I can yet awaken my inner gardener with your inspiration.
Oct 14, 2010 @ 16:43:04
Just found your site on google (googled San Diego guerilla gardening?!) and I’m really happy I did! Love this post! I love canned San Marzano tomatoes, but worry about the BPA in the liner. I’ve also started growing my own herbs as of late (I’m also in SD) so maybe I’ll become brave enough soon to try tomatoes! I’m so happy to learn that San Marzanos are a variety and not a brand! They are delicious! Love the simple recipe too! thank you