The taste of fresh garden tomatoes is no comparison to store-bought tomatoes that were likely picked unripe and traveled thousands of miles to their destination. Picked fresh, garden tomatoes make an excellent BLT or an addition to a salad, but when they come ripe all at once, there’s only so many BLT’s you can stomach. Don’t let those tomatoes rot; turn them into pasta sauce, which can be enjoyed all year long.

Join University of Illinois Extension Small Foods and Local Farms Educator, Nick Frillman, for a garden tour through the Unity Community Center gardens. Learn about paste tomatoes and the trellising methods used in the garden, then head inside to learn how to make pasta sauce the easy way. You’ll watch a food demonstration given by Jenna Smith, registered dietitian and nutrition and wellness educator. She’ll show you how to quickly turn those tomatoes into a jar of pasta sauce to put in the freezer for later use. In fact, you’ll leave the program with your very own jar of frozen pasta sauce! If you don’t have the freezer space, consider canning. Smith will also walk through the steps of canning pasta sauce in a boiling water bath canner, and will illustrate safe, reliable and scientific methods.

The cost of the program is $5 per participant. Space is limited so register soon.