Mom's easy crock pot pasta sauce with garden tomatoes

Sadly, summer is coming to an end.  I don't think I have ever been this sad before.  As I prepare the kids for the start of the new school year, I can't help but notice the signs that fall is on its way.  Today, as I watched them ride their bikes down the street with their friends, I noticed the bright summer sun is beginning to take on a more golden glow.  A reminder that the seasons change.  Something that I am very grateful for.  Yet this time, I am a little more sentimental.  Maybe it is because I am noticing that my kids are older now.  And I am beginning to realize that my days are numbered with them.

Before I get too weepy, I better tell you about my mom's pasta sauce.  My tomatoes have grown long past their initial debut.  Though they haven't done as well this year as in years past, we have been blessed by the bounty.

Last spring I flew to Montana to surprise my mom for mother's day.  She and dad treated me like royalty.  It was so nice to have them all to myself.  My mom has always been an excellent  cook.  One night for dinner she pulled out some frozen pasta sauce that she had made the prior summer from tomatoes from her garden.  It was so delicious and tasted so fresh, even months later.  I asked her for the recipe, and of course, all she said was you add some of this and a little of that.  I did manage though to write down what she said, and try my hand at making my own with my own tomatoes.  It was quite tasty!

I had help from my daughter, so that made it extra special.  Sometimes I forget that she can really be helping me a lot more in the kitchen!

So...here is mom's recipe

Mom's Crock Pot Pasta Sauce

4 quarts of tomatoes
a few tablespoons olive oil
2-3 onions-chopped
6 cloves chopped garlic
1 lg can tomato paste, or four 8 oz cans
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp all spice
1 bay leaf
fresh oregano (one handful chopped)
fresh basil (one handful chopped)
shredded zucchini (optional)
green pepper chopped (optional)

First, you will want to remove the skins from the tomatoes.  Lightly score an X on the bottom of each tomato.  Throw them into boiling water just until their skins start to crack.



Then, submerged them in a pot of ice water.



After a minute they will be cooled.  Peel them, core them, and chop just a little, then throw them into a large crock pot.



In a skillet, saute the onions, garlic and green pepper (optional) in the olive oil until tender.  Add tomato paste, and rest of ingredients.  (You can also add sausage or anything else you would like)Put this mixture in the crock pot with the tomatoes, add a little salt and pepper, and give it a little stir.  Put the lid on, and cook on low the whole day.  When cooled, freeze in quart size bags, and Enjoy on your favorite pasta!