Tips for dealing with tomato surplus

In order to ensure they have enough produce to last them, some garden and greenhouse enthusiasts may have planted a surplus of tomatoes during growing season.

Those who find they have more of the fruit than they need should not despair, with the Examiner offering a suggestion of how to deal with the issue.

It advised horticulture fans in such a situation to make a sauce from fresh tomatoes, which can then be canned and frozen if necessary.

"Later in the year it will make a quick and easy dinner solution and will bring a bit of summer to those cold winter nights," the article stated.

It recommends blanching, peeling and seeding the fruits to ensure the sauce is thicker and smoother.

The sauce can be made by sauteing a diced onion with two or three cloves of garlic, before adding six to eight tomatoes, one to two teaspoons of oregano, basil or parsley and a pinch of salt, pepper and sugar, it suggests.

It should then be left for at least half an hour and frozen for up to a year.

Gardeners may even wish to use herbs they have grown in their own greenhouse or yard – those who do so can find tips on drying out in another Examiner article from earlier this month.