Consider this either a public service announcement or a warning siren. You see, two years ago just about now, I was obsessed, completely, with learning all the tips and tricks for slow-roasting tomatoes. All the recipes suggested roasting tomatoes for an hour. Me, over 17 batches of slow-roasted tomatoes, I kept stretching and stretching the oven time until finally settling on the 'sweet spot' for slow-roasted tomatoes roasted for ...

... yes, an entire ten to twelve hours. Talk about 'low and slow'.

So why is a two-years-ago obsession a public service announcement? Because late summer and early fall is the time to roast tomatoes, the window is short, and once you've done one batch, you'll want to roast more tomatoes, so you need to allow time, lots of time, lots of slow time. Don't let the season pass you by, it will be another whole year before it returns!

So why should something as simple and natural as roasting tomatoes be setting off warning sirens? Because you, too, may become equally obsessed, so much so that you begin stalking the tomato man for more of the small, meaty tomatoes that are needed? that you nearly burst into tears when you hear that this year's crop is stingy? that you wonder how to get along an entire winter without a big stash in the freezer? Aii, enough about me but really, it's enough to make a girl go out and buy a whole hog.

The thing is, once you figure out the details that work for you, with your own oven, with your own taste buds, with the tomatoes that you grow or purchase, you never go back. You watch what others do, you maybe tweak a little, but really, you've got your tomato roasting gig down, you're not giving it up.

The Perfect Pantry ~ uses fresh herbs for her version of Slow-Roasted Tomatoes.

Kalyn's Kitchen ~ has learned to take the smaller tomatoes out first, then give the larger ones an extra hour when making her version of slow-roasted tomatoes.

Smitten Kitchen ~ says that her three-hour version of Slow-Roasted Tomatoes transforms even supermarket cherry and grape tomatoes

FamilyStyle Food ~ used a huge box of past-due tomatoes from a warehouse club for her version of Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

Other ways to obsess over tomatoes ...

Wednesday Chef ~ Bruschetta di Pomodori Gratinati, slices of country bread rubbed with garlic and smashed grilled tomatoes

DorieGreenspan.com ~ uses oven-roasted tomatoes to spice up a plate of pasta

Orangette ~ uses glugs of olive oil to roast tomatoes for an hour to make Pomodoro il forni in her column in Bon Appetit

BlogHer food editor Alanna Kellogg provides a photo tutorial for how to slow roast tomatoes for her food column Kitchen Parade and collects recipes that use slow-roasted tomatoes throughout the year.