The Mortgage Lifter

Last year, I decided to plant tomatoes in a portion of the raised bed.  With the irises out of bloom, it gave me a new project to pursue.  I personally don't like to eat fresh tomatoes, but my husband does. I've heard it said that tomatoes bought in a store don't compare to home-grown garden tomatoes and there is something oddly empowering about growing your own food, So this year, I continued the tomato-planting tradition.
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I like history and have been interested in heirloom plants for awhile.  Somehow, I came upon the story of Radiator Charlie and his Mortgage Lifter tomatoes -it's a fascinating and inspiring story.  This year I bought 8 Mortgage Lifter (yes, 8) from a local nursery, and three months later, our kitchen has an abundance of Charlie's famous tomato.  If you've never heard of Charlie or his tomato, read all out him here:
tomatopedia.org/radiator-charlie-and-the-mortgage-lifter-story/

Even though I don't like the taste of fresh tomatoes, I do love spaghetti and pizza.  Using my garden tomatoes, I came up with a recipe for pizza sauce that I hope you will enjoy.

Garden Tomato Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. salted butter
1 1/2 cup garden tomatoes (different varieties have different flavors - for this recipe I used my Mortgage Lifters)
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. minced onion flakes
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preparation:
In a small saucepan, saute garlic in butter.  Add tomatoes and the other remaining ingredients.  Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer.  Allow the sauce mixture to simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let the sauce set for two minutes.