I would like to offer this recipe. I have been using it for the past several years and it is delicious. This is the recipe from Ellie Topf's Small Batch Preserving, that Dave mentions. My first batch this year I accidentally doubled the Vinegar, and it is still delicious! CHUNKY BASIL PASTA SAUCE 8 cups coarsely chopped peeled tomatoes -- (about 9-12 tomatoes or 4 lb) 1 cup chopped onion 3 cloves garlic, minced 2/3 cup red wine 1/3 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1 teaspoon pickling salt 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar 1 6-oz can tomato paste Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, wine, vinegar, basil, parsley, salt, sugar and tomato paste in a very large non-reactive pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until mixture reaches desired consistency, stirring frequently. Remove hot jars from canner and ladle sauce into jars to within 1/2 inch of rim Process 35 minutes for pint jars and 40 minutes for quart jars in a BWB. Makes 8 cups. Steve

mustangs - For relatively small amounts (1-cup or less), store your tomato powder in a dry environment - either vacuum-sealed or in a refrigerator (refrigerators are dry due to the frost-free feature). I keep a user-friendly amount in a pint jar in the refrigerator with some moisture absorbers in it (recycled from supplements we take) to keep it from clumping. When I open a #10 can of tomato powder I keep it free-flowing in a vacuum-sealed canning jar/s, FoodSaver canister, or some other container that can be sealed with a FoodSaver Universal Lid. I like to use the Universal Lids when I move food from long-term storage to the pantry, especially things I get in-and-out of frequently. -Grainlady

I think February is the right time to plant out tomato seedlings in your area and you would be picking tomatoes in April/May/June. People in the deep south can also grow a fall tomato crop planting out seedlings sometime in August I believe. If you can keep the plants alive you should start seeing some tomatoes set when the weather starts to cool down with highs in the 80s as others have mentioned.

I'm in a similar situation. I had tossed several gallons of green (unripe) tomatoes into the freezer. Today, I thawed them, with a plan to put them through my strainer and dehydrate them. However, I find that the seeds of green tomatoes are smaller than when fully ripe, so they sneak through the strainer, or clog the strainer. So, I'm just going to keep the skins and seeds and blend them for dehydraying. I still have bunches of delicious green tomato salsa left from 2021, so I will just keep the dehydrated leather for future recipes. Martha