Tomatoes have been keeping me busy

Knit-Chick · ‎04-12-2010

We've been picking at least 5 lbs of tomatoes every other day and have all different varieties. Thought I'd share how we've been using them:

Tonight is BLT night!

Roasted cherry tomatoes (cut in half, drizzled with olive oil, roast with garlic on pan until they start to carmelize) - tossed with pasta for my hubby and tossed with chickpea 'pasta' for me. This is also good with shrimp or chicken tossed in.

Sliced tomato with olive oil & balsamic glaze, sometimes with sliced mozzarella

Panzanella salad - tomatoes tossed with onion, chunks of homemade bread croutons, fresh mozzarella and a red wine vinaigrette

Roasted tomato soup - roast chunks of tomato, onion, italian seasoning and garlic. Then put in pot with chicken broth. After simmering, blend until smooth with just a bit of cream. I freeze this too.

Tomato, cuke, avocado, onion salad (recipe from natashaskitchen dot com)

Citrine1 · ‎03-09-2010

I'm so jealous! Tomatoes are my absolute favorite food and just about the only thing I like about summer.

Your recipes all sound so good. Enjoy your crop.

AnnieBelle · ‎05-12-2017

@Knit-Chick Great tomato ideas there. I make a similar soup - roast all varieties of tomatoes with onion, garlic, a jalapeno pepper and some yellow and green zucchini (that's been a very prolific crop this year) with some olive oil drizzled and salt and pepper. Once roasted soft and carmelized, I add fresh basil from the garden, a bit of sugar and blend with the immersion blender - and add some water to thin it out. Nothing like fresh from the garden!

ScrapHappy · ‎03-28-2010

You're so lucky. Our tomatoe plants this year are a big flop. Planted cherry tomatoes and beefsteak tomatoes. We plant them every year. Have only gotten abou 5 cherry tomatoes so far this year...that's it. I don't know what happened.

QPrincess · ‎03-09-2010

You are lucky indeed. Nothing better than a home grown tomato. We gave up about 4 years ago as the squirrels were winning- even taking bites out of the green ones. We have not found a way to keep them away.

Knit-Chick · ‎04-12-2010

@QPrincess wrote:
You are lucky indeed. Nothing better than a home grown tomato. We gave up about 4 years ago as the squirrels were winning- even taking bites out of the green ones. We have not found a way to keep them away.

@QPrincess we're lucky that our city has a community garden with a tall chain link fence to keep the deer out (that's a big problem in our area). But we will get chipmunks climbing the plants and eating the cherry tomatoes.

Knit-Chick · ‎04-12-2010

@AnnieBelle wrote:
@Knit-Chick Great tomato ideas there. I make a similar soup - roast all varieties of tomatoes with onion, garlic, a jalapeno pepper and some yellow and green zucchini (that's been a very prolific crop this year) with some olive oil drizzled and salt and pepper. Once roasted soft and carmelized, I add fresh basil from the garden, a bit of sugar and blend with the immersion blender - and add some water to thin it out. Nothing like fresh from the garden!

Thanks @AnnieBelle ! I never thought to add other veggies to the soup! I don't grow any zucchini, but have been buying it at a few roadside stands. yum!

Knit-Chick · ‎04-12-2010

@ScrapHappy wrote:
You're so lucky. Our tomatoe plants this year are a big flop. Planted cherry tomatoes and beefsteak tomatoes. We plant them every year. Have only gotten abou 5 cherry tomatoes so far this year...that's it. I don't know what happened.

oh no! that's so disappointing when it happens. Wish I could drop off a few!

This year has been average for us. We're lucky to have a garden at home plus one at our city's community garden. The community garden is in full sun almost all day so the tomatoes love it up there.