Czech gardeners turn tomato surplus into homemade sauce

Czech home cooks recommend preserving excess ripe tomatoes by making a long‑lasting tomato sauce. The recipe calls for washing, chopping, simmering the fruit for 20 minutes, straining, then cooking the puree for another 30–60 minutes, with optional salt, sugar, onion, garlic and herbs. The finished sauce is hot‑filled into sterilised jars, sealed and stored in a cool, dark place for months, providing a ready‑to‑use base for pasta, pizza, lasagne, soup or stews throughout winter.

Separately, Czech garden columnist Zdeněk Dryšl reflects on the long‑standing debate over whether tomatoes are fruit or vegetable. He notes that tomatoes arrived in Europe in the 15th century via Spain, are botanically fruit because they develop from a flower and contain seeds, but were legally classified as vegetables by a U.S. court in 1893. The piece highlights the cultural love of tomatoes in Czech gardens and the practical advice to share any surplus with neighbours.