Just started processing my own garden goodies, and came across a great technique. After trying to make and can tomato sauce, salsa, and paste, boiling the damn things for hours to thicken them, I had an idea. First I cleaned out the juice and seeds, sliced into pieces, and put the tomatoes in a dehydrator for an hour or two, depending on how juicy they were. Then ran this through a blender, and made the best looking and tasting paste ever! Now turn that into sauce or salsa, nice and red and thick, without cooking it to death! I borrowed my neighbors dehydrator, and if I lived in a sunny place, would have used a solar one. The time it takes to do all of this does not equal buying it from a store of course, but $$$ does not equal the impact to the environment of growing your own food. In this regard our food is WAY underpriced! Anyone else have tips on tomatoes?