Had no idea my veggie garden nemesis, Mother Nature, reads my blog posts. She swooped in (on June 16th!) freezing pineapple sage, baby bell peppers and the most delightful delicacy of all, Black from Tula heirloom tomatoes. [Note to self: watch the weather reports.]
No amount of TLC in my sorry gardens can match the luscious bounty produced in this greenhouse. [I get to nibble the whole time I'm harvesting. How sweet is that?]
.jpg)
Here's 2 hot tips for handling the harvest:
1) Grill the big ones: Thick slices, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with Parmesan and Asiago cheeses, garlic and parsley. They taste so yummy, you'll run out before you know it.
And....
2) Dry them in your oven to save them for a rainy day:
Oven-Dried Tomatoes
- Slice small tomatoes in half, slice larger tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces.
- Sprinkle with sea salt ~ this improves flavor and speeds up the drying process.
- Set the oven to 175 - 200 degrees (F).
- Slowly roast until they feel pliable, kind of leathery. It could take anywhere from 3-6 hours, depending upon the size of the tomato slices.
Soak in water for 1-2 hours or toss directly into soups and stews.
PS: If these ideas don't snap your socks, send those extra tomatoes to me. :)
Yes! to tomato chips! I tried oven-drying last year with about 10 - 12# of Roma tomatoes from the farmer's market, adding cracked pepper, basil & oregano to the sprinkle. I quartered the biggest ones, halved the small ones, and lined the cookie sheets with parchment paper to save scrubbing between batches.
ReplyDeleteThe house smelled like an Italian restaurant for about 6-8 hours, and the boxful of tomatoes turned into about half a dozen quart ziplocs of leathery chips that went into the freezer.
Handfuls have gone into soups and stews, only stopping to chop into smaller pieces while still frozen beforehand. I've begun haunting the markets awaiting the new crop to do it again. yumyumyum
Kate, My mouth is watering - oh, such gorgeous fruits. My garden is woefully sad this season as the growing season was delayed and delayed and delayed. The poor seedlings just never figured out what to do! They are fairly good size now, healthy green, but very little fruit. Weird year - btw, that grilling idea for large tomatoes is a great one, so thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi Deb!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! Thanks for sharing. And, I love the thought of turning my kitchen into an 'Italian restaurant.' :D
Hi, Amy;
ReplyDeleteWeird year, indeed. I count my blessings, each Wednesday, when I visit the farmer's market and find veggie gardeners who've had better success than me.
Last year we had so many green tomatoes on the vine in September and then the frost came. I still have frozen green tomatoes in the freezer from last year. I made some sweet green tomato pies like you would with apples and my family couldn't tell the difference.
ReplyDeleteWhen our tomatoes do ripen there are so many all at once that I end up crushing and freezing them for sauce. But the freezer gets full quick so I like your idea of oven drying them instead. I'm hoping more red than green and soon!
Hi, Sonia;
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by. :) Sweet green tomato pies sound fab. Care to share the recipe?? Let's cross our fingers that we have a long, warm autumn to make up for our chilly spring.
Hi Kate!
ReplyDeleteWhat a bountiful harvest!! Wow! I love your photos and good advice. Yummy!
I am finally catching up on my bloggery reading and really enjoying your beautiful photos! I can almost taste those tomatoes!
ReplyDeleteTomato growing can be a tricky business. I swore this year I would only plant a few, then the seeds I started indoors did so well that I couldn't bear to discard any of the seedlings. So, yes, I have them coming out of my ears right now.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the recipe for drying tomatoes! This is something I've always wanted to try. I have a few recipes that call for sun-dried tomatoes, and do you know how much a jar of those costs?!
Those tomatoes are so pretty and tasty to I bet. Thanks for the recipe can't wait to try it when my tomatoes are ready in a few weeks.
ReplyDeleteBefore I realized the pictures were not YOUR tomatoes, I was green with envy! All but two of my plants got bit by that same frost, and I have about 20 tomatoes now. All about the size of peas...
ReplyDeleteI hope they'll grow large enough that I can actually dry some of them. Count me in as another who loves to turn her kitchen into a foreign restaurant by drying things with homegrown spices!
Thx, Jan and Carol ~ It's my dream to grow tomatoes as pretty as these. Until then, I'll just take pics of other gardener's gorgeous produce! :D
ReplyDeleteHi, Rose;
ReplyDeleteCan we talk you into sharing the sun-dried tomato recipes? I would LOVE to give that a try!
Lucky you, Melanie!
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear your tomato crop is growing well this summer.
Hi, Snowcatcher;
ReplyDeleteUntil I get motivated to build a greenhouse it's doubtful we'll see such scrumptious tomatoes in my gardens...
Those tomatoes are amazing! What a great place to spend your time. The tomato growing thing is never the same. One year one type will perform better than another - the next year the bugs get the whole crop. One thing about tomatoes - you gotta grow some.
ReplyDeleteCan't seem to get my fill of tomatoes. Thanks for sharing the yummy recipes. Besides simple fat slices, I love them with fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar (light sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper). It's tomato heaven time, a haunting taste that we will remember in winter when we settle for anemic tomato 'wannabes' :)
ReplyDeleteyes that does snap my socks! I'm going to try drying them.
ReplyDeleteThe blight got mine this year. I think I should have been looking for a local organic farm to volunteer at! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Kate, Tomatoes are so rewarding but not always the easiest to grow. I'm still waiting on my cherry tomatoes who are taking their sweet time. These photos look delicious and are making me hungry!
ReplyDeleteLOL, Mother Nature doesn't need to *read* blog posts, she is all knowing. My tomato crop isn't great, either, but I take what I can get. And really, how may tomatoes does a person (who doesn't can) need?! That's what I console myself with, anyway.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about your tomato crop, but glad you get some fresh from the organic farm. Tomatoes are what I've missed most this summer about my last garden. I would make meals of tomatoes 4-5 days a week. My favorite is caprese salad with some heirloom tomatoes. Fresh mozzarella, basil, olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper and the tomatoes of course. Delicious.
ReplyDeletei freeze my extras (cheap overripe produce from the store) whole in a ziploc...when i need pasta sauce i just throw them in the pot, they'll disintegrate enough to make a wonderful sauce, all you have to do is pick out the black tips. i very rarely buy canned tomatoes now!of course they're great for stews too.
ReplyDelete