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Tomato explosion

Posted at 2:52 PM on August 17, 2008 by Sareen Dunleavy Keenan (3 Comments)

Every time I go outside it seems that another tomato has ripened. We average about 10 per day that we are bringing into the house. Great right? We think so.

Typically we process the fruits in only a few ways. There is always whole tomatoes, skinned and canned. We have already stored a half dozen jars of marinara. Salsa is next as the peppers become plentiful. We also do a generic ratatouille that comes in great use throughout the winter.

When we aren't stocking up for the winter, the dinner menu is filled with Caprice salads, BLT's, a cucumber and tomato salad in vinaigrette, and fresh tomato pizzas.

I know there is more that we can be doing. My grandma loves her tomato jelly recipe, but that isn't really getting me excited to spend the day in the kitchen.

What do you do with your tomato bounty?

Comments (3)

1st a question. Do you freeze your ratatouille? Second an idea. You can partially oven dry tomatoes with a bit of oil and salt and pepper and maybe some thyme or basil. Cut small tomatoes in half or quarters - Slice Large tomatoes. Place on rimmed baking sheet drizzle with oil and spices. Bake at 250 degrees overnight. They are wonderful as is on Pasta or toast for breakfast - they you put in containers and freeze the rest for a winter pick me up.

Posted by Diane L | August 18, 2008 6:53 AM

An idea to mix it up a little with the salad usage: we make Israeli salad (e.g. this recipe) on a fairly regular basis, especially now that the peppers are starting to come out in force. I'm glad to hear we're not the only ones drowning in tomatoes all of a sudden though! I'll have to crib some of your canning methods as we start canning this weekend.

Posted by Kevin | August 18, 2008 10:09 AM

I bought my husband a $100 smoker last year for his birthday. When we fire it up, as we did this weekend, we smoke tomatoes. I should say, my husband smokes the tomatoes. Then we rub off the skin and freeze them individually. They are fantastic in chili imparting that lovely subtle smoke in midwinter. Also good in tomato sauce. Or anything that calls for tomatoes and the smoke could contribute to the party.

By the way, we also smoke almonds - amazing! Now I look at the smoker as an investment like my rice cooker or blender, not just a toy for my husband.

Posted by Andrea | August 18, 2008 12:56 PM