Eating the Past: Sweet tomato preserves

Baked Tomatoes
Ingredients:
·         4 medium to large tomatoes
·         1-2 T. butter
·         1 cup of sugar or more to taste
Directions:
Peel and scoop out the stem and seeds of each tomato. Do not hollow out the tomato like you would if you were stuffing them. Leave as much of the flesh inside as you can. Place the tomatoes stem side up in a deep baking dish or bread pan. Put 1/4 or 1/2 of a tablespoon of butter in each of the tomatoes. 
Sprinkle roughly 1/4 cup of sugar over each tomato, but you may have to adapt to the size of your tomatoes and your dish. Matilda Gage (the recipe’s author) specifically says to not be sparing of sugar, so do your best to cover the tomato so thickly that the color is covered or at least very muted. 
Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 90 minutes, then flip the tomatoes over. Bake another 90 minutes or until done. The tomatoes should be not burned, and the liquid should be a thin jelly. Take the pan out to cool and the jelly will harden somewhat. If preferred, use a spoon to very gently smash down the tomatoes while they are hot. making it easier to scoop and eat. Carefully pour it into a jar and let it cool before storing it in the fridge for up to a week.