Tomato help

[TinkOhio]

Our garden is exploding with tomatoes, and I would love to find some new ways to prepare them. Please share your fresh tomato recipes and help us find lots of ways to eat them and save some money!:goodvibes

[Blue.Fairy2]

send some my way Chip and Dale keeps eating ours! :rotfl:



Chili Sauce (spicy)
Makes about 6 pints.

2 cups sweet green peppers, chopped
2 cups chopped onions
24 large tomatoes(4 quarts peeled, cored, chopped)
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tbls. salt
1 1/4 cup vinegar
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tbls. celery seed
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
Hot Pack

Combine and add all ingredients to a heavy sauce pan or cast iron skillet. Bring to a boil and simmer 1 to 2 hours or till desired thickness has been reached. Stir often to prevent sticking. Pack hot jars with hot prepared tomato mixture leaving 1/2-inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim and screw threads and adjust lids and screw bands.

[jenlynn0808]

My Mom makes this and we all enjoy it...Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Motzorella (sp?) cheese. Cute everything into bite size chunks, pour Italian dressing over it, stir it so the dressing covers everything, and cover. Refridgerate for a few hours and serve.

I usually make it in the morning or around lunchtime and then throw it in the fridge till dinner.

[HM]

Buy a box of wheat Tabule at the store (in the rice isle). There is a recipe on it for Greek Tabule salad....uses Cucumbers, Tomatos, Feta cheese.... Is really easy (no cooking) and yummy.

[TinkOhio]

Thanks for the quick suggestions! Keep them coming!:thumbsup2

[Ericandus]

We love Tomato Pie!!

I use a frozen deep dish pie crush, and pre-bake it for about 10 minutes. Then layer thin sliced tomatoes, sweet onions, salt and pepper, a small sprinkle of fresh (or dried) basil and oregano, and mozzarella cheese. Continue layers until crust is full. Then top with about 1/4-1/2 cup light mayo (spread over the top). Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes or until top is light brown and bubbly.
SOOOO good!!

[luvsmickeymouse]

You are so lucky! I love a tomato right from the garden. I would make alot of pasta sauce. At the end, any green ones, you can make the green tomato relish. And you can send a large box of them to me! :cutie:

[canadianjovigirl]

I used to make alot of salsa and stuffed tomatoes.....

[patchchild]

Lots of salsa, and then freeze it.

[Tarheel Tink]

tomato napoleons- slice the tomatoes as though you were going to use to put on a sandwich. Reassemble the tomato with "things" in-between each slice (herbs, sliced cheese, meats, leftovers). Depending on what you use you can serve cold, room temperature or heated. I like to salt/pepper each slice.

You can freeze the tomatoes whole in bags and use later for cooked products (sauces, soups, etc.). The skins slide right off when defrosting.

[mechteach]

Barbara Kingsolver has some great tomato recipes from her Animal, Vegetable, Miracle book. They're available on the web at http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/Recipes.html (scroll about 1/2 way down).

[mward73]

I make and can salsa
Also, fresh spaghetti sauce in the crockpot - house smells yummy when we get home :)

[NJMomma]

Wish you could send some my way! Our tomatoes fell victim to the blight this year :(

We are big fans of sauce made in the crockpot. Tomatoes need to be boiled for a minute or so then removed to cool in order to be skinned easily. Add to crockpot with onions, dash of olive oil, garlic, minced basil - fresh if you have it, grated carrot, salt and sugar. Other ingredients can be added as per taste. Blend with a stick mixer if you have one, it helps break down the tomatoes. It needs to cook for several hours, and might need thickening with corn starch depending on how you like your sauce.

Enjoy your bounty!

[ceecee]

I take the skin off, dice and freeze in a freezer bag for winter!

[jacksmom]

We have tons also! Anyone have a good salsa recipe?

[imjoyful2]

I make and can my own salsa as well as making spaghetti sauce and freezing that. My 16 plants fell victim to blight this year so I'm not getting nearly the output as usual. :(

[1sttimemickeymom]

DH loves my stuffed tomatoes. I simply cut around the center of the tomato until I can use a melon baller to take out the "insides". I roughly dice it (taking out the core) and then add it to a bowl with some panko bread crumbs, grated parmesean cheese, a small amount of olive oil and laughing cow low fat cheese. I usually use my hands to mush this all together! :)

I then stuff it all back in the tomato shell & drizzle just a small amount of olive oil on the top. Bake in a 350 to 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes, until brown & bubbly. This almost makes a meal by itself if the tomato is big enough! Enjoy!


P.S. I love checking out the Taste of Home website for ideas, too. Good Luck!

[hmcfall711]

Fried green tomatoes if you still have any green.
DH like tomato sandwiches, just tomato and mayo or fresh bread.:confused3

[hambirg]

This is the first year I won't have garden tomatoes. :( I started a new job and didn't have time for a garden this year. BUT. .around this house it is BLT's!!! My kids love them. For breakfast, I like to slice a hard boiled egg, tomato, cucumber and a little mayo on toast or rice cakes. .. yum! Whenever I had too many and couldn't keep up, I would just blanch a big pot off them, rub the skins off, put them in ziploc bags, squish them up a little and freeze them. It was great to pull out in the winter for sauces, soups and chili. HTH

[hambirg]

This is the first year I won't have garden tomatoes. :( I started a new job and didn't have time for a garden this year. BUT. .around this house it is BLT's!!! My kids love them. For breakfast, I like to slice a hard boiled egg, tomato, cucumber and a little mayo on toast or rice cakes. .. yum! Whenever I had too many and couldn't keep up, I would just blanch a big pot off them, rub the skins off, put them in ziploc bags, squish them up a little and freeze them. It was great to pull out in the winter for sauces, soups and chili. HTH

[silvergoldberry]

My favorite saying in the summer. When life gives you lemons make lemonade..when life gives you tomatos, make salsa!

Salsa: Tomatoes, Onions, hot peppers (just a little) Lime juice, tons of garlic and a little salt to taste. I vary the proportions based on my mood. A little can tomato paste rounds it out nicely, too sometimes.

I also grow lots of basil to make Bruschetta: Tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and basil.(dash of balsamic vinegar is optional) Serve on bread toasted with olive oil.

[My2Qtz0205]

Caprese Salad: Sliced fresh tomatoes topped with sea salt, fresh mozzerella, and fresh basil leaves, and drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. Yum! :goodvibes

[Schmoodle]

Our favorites (some of which have been mentioned here) are: BLTs, Salade Caprese, Ratatouille (which also freezes very well), salsa, stuffed tomatoes (raw stuffed with tuna or crab salad, or baked as described by another poster), tomatoes provencale, and when we can't keep up with eating them all, I make sun-dried tomatoes, or pop them in the freezer whole to use later for soups and stews. I've got the blight too this year, so I won't have many to dry, boo.

[D&DDisney]

We have tons also! Anyone have a good salsa recipe?

Get a package of McCormick Salsa Seasoning and add fresh cilantro. Mix in with tomatoes cut up. Let sit for a few hours. Instant delicious salsa. :thumbsup2

[jacksmom]

Get a package of McCormick Salsa Seasoning and add fresh cilantro. Mix in with tomatoes cut up. Let sit for a few hours. Instant delicious salsa. :thumbsup2

Thanks!:banana:

[merekc]

Tomatoes, Cucumber and onion salad with balsalmic vinegar, olive oil and Cavender's Greek Seasoning (or salt and pepper)

Bacon and tomato sandwiches with Miracle whip on bread (forget the lettuce) this is heaven!

I know my grocery store sells a dry herb mix to add to tomatoes for salsa. It is pretty good. Seems like it has a woman on the label and is a see through bag.

[jeminni]

Caprese Salad: Sliced fresh tomatoes topped with sea salt, fresh mozzerella, and fresh basil leaves, and drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. Yum! :goodvibes


My favorite but I also add fresh garlic slices to mine and I just drizzle high quality olive oil over it right before serving. :goodvibes

[java]

Salsa is so easy to make
you don't need a mix

Chop tomatoes
chop poblanos or whatever pepper you like (jalapeno)
olive oil
cilantro
I like raw onion in mine- so a little of that
LIME!!


There you go - Salsa!

variation- you can add grilled corn and chipolte too!

I love Tomato Cuccumber feta salads.

I am still waiting on my tomatoes- I started from seeds this year and I fear by the time I get tomatoes it'll be snowing.

[riley2008]

We had tons of tomatoes too this year and we were out of takers (my mom and I both had gardens). So, we blanched the tomatoes after taking out most of the seeds (DH doesn't like them) and chinking them, removed the peels, added fresh garlic and onion and cooked just a bit, then froze in those little half cup ziploc containers.

When the next batch of tomatoes were getting too ripe, we dumped out the ziploc containers into gallon bags and repeated. Now we have tons of 1/2 cup seasoned tomatoe cubes in the freezer ready for soups, spaghetti, chili, gumbo, etc. (We originally thought about ice cube trays but neither of us had any.)

[Chim Chiminy]

Most all of mine split because of heavy rain this summer. I wonder if I can still freeze them whole?

These recipes sound wonderful. Can't wait to try them.
I ate a whole one fresh off the vine tonight with supper. It was delicious.

Now, who has recipes for zucchini?

[java]

Now, who has recipes for zucchini?

Favorite for us is an easy peasy fried zucchini- cut into matchsticks- dip in flour, egg, breadcrumbs- fry in olive oil. Drain and top with a squeeze of lemon! Mmmmmm delicious and the kids love this one!

I also just saute some sliced Zucchini with a little olive oil and garlic- till crispy- that's the sauce I put on top of Raviolli in the summer!

and I have a stuffed zucchini recipe that I have to dig out to get it right- it's yummy tomatoes used and cheese- breadcrumbs but I'll try to find the "official" recipe.

[KarlaG4Kids]

slice tomatoes, put a slice of fresh motzarella on top of the tomato, tear a piece of fresh basil and lay on motzarella and then drizzle balsamic vinegar on top. VERY YUMMY and different.

[Evi]

Make past sauce and store it for the winter.

I make past sauce in one large batch when most tomatoes ripen.

Saute in olive oil your choice of:

garlic, shallots, onion
fresh peppers, mushrooms, olives, hot peppers, shredded carrots, spinach combination's are endless
Add fresh basil, oregano, pepper, salt, red wine

peel tomatoes and cook down to desired consistency

I make my recipes from memory but honestly any good pasta sauce recipe will do and when done and cooled bag it I double bag so no frostbite and I have fresh homemade past sauce straight through about february usually.I dont add meat because i think it shouldn't be frozen for along time.

Good luck

[pantherlj]

We slice tomatoes, spread some salad dressing on top (caeser or Italian) and top with crumbled feta cheese. Bake at 350 until the cheese starts to melt.

Or, you can broil them.

[java]

We slice tomatoes, spread some salad dressing on top (caeser or Italian) and top with crumbled feta cheese. Bake at 350 until the cheese starts to melt.

Or, you can broil them.

Oh yummy! That sounds so good. When I was a kid (like 12) I used to take mushrooms and stuff them with feta and stick them in the oven for lunch! (this was the 70's and it used to drive my mom nuts) But I loved them that way! I may have to try that again!

[MIGrandma]

We love fresh tomato sandwiches. Toast the bread, slather on butter and mayo, put sliced tomatoes on, add salt and pepper. Delicious!!

[Blue.Fairy2]

here is a link for you:

http://southernfood.about.com/od/tomatoes/a/green_tomatoes.htm

[TinkOhio]

Oh my gosh! Thanks so much for all of the recipes! :thanks: I'm getting hungry just reading this!

[blogposter12]

Our garden is exploding with tomatoes, and I would love to find some new ways to prepare them. Please share your fresh tomato recipes and help us find lots of ways to eat them and save some money!:goodvibes


why don't u sell them at ur local farmer's market? that'll save a lot of money :)

[swilshire]

I make sun-dried tomatoes

I bet this is going to be the stupidest question ever, but exactly how do you sun-dry tomatoes. I love the ones you buy in the stores.

I remember my mother drying apples when I was a kid, but I've never known anyone who did tomatoes.

Our biggest thing this year has been homemade pizza. I buy the Pillsbury crusts. I just like sliced tomato, garlic and cheeses on my side, but DH puts other things on the rest for the boys. We don't use any tomato sauce at all, but they are SO good.

Sheila

[MazdaUK]

try deliaonline - I think she has a recipe to do it in the oven (as we don't often get enough sun here:rolleyes1 ) Mine are still really green - hopefully they'll be riupe when I get back from vacation:goodvibes