I love stocking up our pantry and freezer during the fall as fresh produce is plentiful and so tasty.  We love to can salsa and do that each year but this year I have been brainstorming other things we could do. You know how I love my freezer… so I’m not canning the spaghetti sauce – I’m freezing it in individual packages to use over the next few months.

Our kiddos don’t love big chunks of tomatoes in sauce, so I puree tomatoes as well as chop some smaller that will get smaller while simmering away in the crock pot all day long.

Let’s Get Crafty!

2 medium yellow onions, diced

12 cups tomatoes, peeled and pureed

2 quarts tomatoes, peeled and chopped on the smaller side

2 tablespoons minced garlic

3 teaspoons Italian seasoning

4 cubes basil (from what I froze from my herb garden.  I would probably use 1 teaspoon of dry basil and add more to taste, as needed)

2 6oz cans tomato paste

salt to taste (I tasted and added a couple time during the cooking process – maybe around 2 teaspoons total)

Bring a large pot of water to boiling and add a handful of fresh tomatoes that have had the stem section carved out.  Let them hang out just a minute or two.  Then gently put them into an ice water bath.  The skins will fall off so easy and it is crazy to me how much easier they peel.

Ours was filled to the brim… which is more than the recommended 2/3rd full.  I’m curious to see how this shakes out.  I think it’ll be okay because I’m starting it before we head out to Sunday school before church and it will simmer away all day.  **fingers crossed**

(Update: we had to split it between two slow cookers because it wasn’t cooking right being so full.)

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day.  Thanks for stopping by!