[Diana in Wisconsin]

Tons of tomato information here. Don't let a one go to waste! ;)

"You tell 'em I'm puttin' up 'maters for th' winter, that's what. People might laugh at such stuff as this, but I'll tell y', I'm not about to let 'em rot." —Hillard Green, quoted in The Foxfire Book

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I’m going to make Ruby’s Tomato Soup out of some of my harvest this season. Won’t that be yummy on a winter night with a grilled cheese sandwich? Yum! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Garden Ping!

[SouthDixie]

Loved the article, Mother Earth News is a great magazine, Harrowsmith was another informative source of material.
I've made the soup and it is delicious, a nice variation is adding a little onion, a wee bit of rice and a dash of oregano.

[doodad]

We have been enjoying fresh Caprese Salad with out bounty.

Sliced tomato with a slice of goat cheese topped with chiffonaded basil (also from the garden). Sprinkle your favorite good vinegar, salt and pepper and enjoy.

[bgill]

Freeze them - Do nothing but quarter the big ones or leave the cherry ones whole and throw them in a baggie. No fuss. No muss.

Can’t go wrong with salsa.

Tomato preserves. Yes, for those who have never eaten tomato preserves, you don’t know what you’re missing. Yummmy comfort food!

Fried green tomatoes.

The best-est sandwich in the world is cheap white bread slathered with mayo and a thick slice of a warm fresh from the garden tomato..... heaven!

[Betis70]

Wish I had some tomatoes to not let go to waste. As it is they are unlikely to ripen before our first frost.

Local orchards are having a bumper crop though—apples, peaches, probably a few others. I guess all the Spring/Summer rain and now a hot Aug are great for fruits. I wonder how the local vineyards are going to do.

[JoeProBono]

[sweetiepiezer]

Here is an old recipe I used in the 70’s
MOCK STRAWBERRY JAM

1 c. ripe tomatoes
6 oz. raspberry Jello
1 tbsp. blackberry Jello
2 1/2 c. sugar

Boil tomatoes, add Jellos and sugar. Boil 10 minutes on medium heat. Pour in jars.

[GOPJ]

Here’s a fast easy tomato soup

1 tsp butter
4 tsp medium salsa
1 can tomato soup
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup heavy cream

Melt butter, add salsa - cool for 1 minute - add tomato soup and water. Heat to boil. Stir in heavy cream. Serve.

[GOPJ]

Here’s a fast easy tomato soup

1 tsp butter
4 tsp medium salsa
1 can tomato soup
3/4 can ( use tomato soup can) water
1/4 cup heavy cream

Melt butter, add salsa - cool for 1 minute - add tomato soup and water.
Heat to boil. Stir in heavy cream. Serve.

[Quix]

THANKS BIG.

Don’t have the bumper crop I expected but love options.

Blessings,

[kalee]

ping

[OldMissileer]

Here is my favorite:

1. Go to kitchen and retrieve a clean, wet, dishcloth and a shaker of salt

2. Go out to garden

3. Pick one ripe tomato.

4. Wipe tomato with the wet dishcloth.

5. Insert tomato in mouth, bite lightly on the tomato skin, and while holding tomato skin in teeth pull back about one inch.

6. Shake salt on exposed tomato meat.

7. Eat tomato.

8. If one tomato is not enough then repeat steps 3 to 7.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Use-Your-Green-Tomatoes Spice Bread
(really good, makes 2 loaves)

2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 tsp. dry ginger
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. molasses
2 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup green tomato puree, undrained
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins

Beat together eggs, sugar, molasses, honey, vanilla and tomato puree. Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Mix in the raisins and nuts. Pour into greased and floured loaf pans. Let rest 10 min. Bake 350F 45-50 minutes.

[MissNomer]

self-ping

[metmom]

My tomatoes are hanging on and starting to ripen.

Looks like I’ll get something out of the garden.

On another note....

I’ve let some beans go to ripen for seed. How do I tell when they’re done ripening and when I should pick them? And do they need to cure before taking out the seed?

[LadyPilgrim]

Good info...thanks! :-)

[tubebender]

The Mother Earth News and Fox Fire! I read them all back in the day and may still have them stashed away in some musty place. Also Prevention and Organic Gardening, Oh My Diana, we are really dating ourselves here. I dropped MEN when they got too radical for this lifelong conservative and I think they still owe me a refund now that I think about.

Now we get Cooks Illustrated, Fine Cooking, Garden Gate and Fine Gardening etc. We are going to the Farmers Market this morning to pickup some Cherokee Purple tomatoes and whatever strikes our fancy then to my Cardiologist for my 5 year checkup...

[chickpundit]

Thanks for the article. I’m new to canning this year, and can use all the ideas/help I can get.

Can anyone give me advice on converting recipes from water bath to pressure canner? Or perhaps recommend a recipe book with mostly recipes for this kind of canner? I understand you’re supposed to go strictly by recipes, but I’ve been having trouble finding some recipes for the pressure canner. Since the pressure canner is safer, and I already own one, I’d rather just use it. Are there some things that just shouldn’t be canned in a pressure canner? Thanks for any advice.

[ApplegateRanch]

Finally getting some color on the tomatoes. All those Romas will go for stewed & diced.

Failing that, there's always the possibility of 24 quarts of green tomato relish. Waste not, want not.

Yesterday, I used some of our peppers--green, Anaheim, and Hungarian Wax, along with store-bought dried hots, to make a 'somewhat' mild form of Thai red curry paste. "Mild" is a relative term. *<];-)

I was fixing red curried cod filets for dinner, and had planned on using the red curry paste that I had used up and forgotten to replace. Thank the Lord for Google! I found a great recipe for the paste; Mrs AR was extremely pleased with both the paste and the dinner.

As for fried green tomatoes, I was horrified when I finally learned (when the movie came out) that Southerners adulterate them with eggs & cornmeal.

All my life, I had eaten fried green tomatoes, either for breakfast or as a quick dinner: quartered, then sliced and fried in bacon grease like cottage fries/home fries; bacon on the side, and fried eggs on top. Or, skipping the bacon & eggs, as a side dish instead of potatoes.