The tomato harvest!

When I snapped this picture of my tomatoes a few weeks ago, I was still eagerly awaiting the first red tomato for the first official BLT of summer.  Say what you want about bacon, summer is the time of year when we eat it most often and it tasted soooo good!
The first tomatoes to ripen were the Sungold cherry tomatoes.  The plant is now over 6' tall and greets the mailman each day.  It continues to put on height and produces clusters of golden-orange tomatoes that are so sweet.  I take a quart bowl of them to work and set them on the corner of my desk.
My coworkers were a bit puzzled by their color at first, but by the end of the day the tomato bowl was empty and they were looking for more.  I have another ready for the ride in tomorrow for a Friday treat.  They are almost as sweet as candy but so much better for you.

Patience may be a virtue, but trying something new is even better.  Inspired by a facebook posting of one of my old high-school friends, I plucked a couple large green tomatoes off the vine and made fried green tomatoes.  I followed her directions, but put them through a process I use for eggplant first.  After slicing the fruit, lay it on a cooling rack and sprinkle with Kosher flake salt, flip and salt the other side.  Let is set for about half an hour over the sink to drip out the excess water.  The removal of the moisture helps produce a crispier end product after frying or oven browning.  I dredged them in a bit of flour, salt and pepper and then browned them on my griddle with a bit of butter and canola oil.  After all these years of watching the movie and wondering what they taste like, I now know that although they were good, I prefer to have my zuchinni as my fried vegetable.

The next variety to ripen was the Roma tomatoes.  Although they are a paste tomato and not as juicy as the Celebrity variety, the bacon had been in the frig for a week and was calling my name.  The Romas also make a great addition to salsa and sauces as they are very meaty and keep the consistency not as watery.  They were not a disappointment to have for a BLT.  As most home gardeners know, a home-grown tomato's flavor far out shines any store bought one.  I am looking forward to tonight's BLT featuring a Celebrity as the crowning glory.  I only wish the heat hadn't caused the whole lettuce crop to bolt and the next crop isn't even close.

Last week the real harvest finally started. Our cooler weather of early summer held things back a bit.  All our rain was followed by so much heat that the plants really stretched out and loaded on the fruit.  The only addition I made to my tomato bed was compost and grass clippings.  It seems to be what they needed.  All three varieties are ripening in fair amounts.  I have processed a full pail and then some for chili and spaghetti sauce.  I had my eye on canning salsa, but decided some immediate gratification was in order.

I was also processing two gallon pails of beans a few nights ago, so blanching the tomatoes to remove the skins was just one more thing to quickly do.  I cut up the whole pail of red tomatoes and put them in the frig until the next morning.  We had a 90 degree day in the forecast, so I put the cut up tomatoes into a slow cooker on low for the day.  A couple minutes with the immersion blender (yes, I do have a lot of kitchen toys) and the addition of some tomato paste and I had my base.  I ladled half of it out for the sauce and added the necessary ingredients to each half to make two meals in one night.  Spaghetti sauce is always better the second day, so that went into the frig for Wednesday night's supper.  Sitting in the frig did what a slow simmer would do on a regular day and that was to blend all the flavors into the sauce. 

One more summer time favorite awaits me and that will require a trip to the store for some fresh mozzarella cheese.  The basil is waiting to be married to some tomatoes, cheese and balsamic vinegar for a fresh salad.  Caprese  salad is a new summer love, but I do believe it is here to stay.  Google a recipe for yourself and give it a try if you have never tasted this before.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I have to wait for my daughter to get home to make supper, so this is a great opportunity to walk up to the store for a few ingredients.  Enjoy your summer time favorites and share them with a friend.


P.S.  KEEP YOUR TOMATOES OUT OF THE FRIG AND ON THE COUNTER.  THE TASTE WILL BE BETTER AND THEY WILL HOLD FOR DAYS LIKE THIS.  THEY KEEP RIPENING SO EVEN GREEN ONES MAY HAVE A CHANCE IF THEY DROP OFF THE VINE TOO EARLY.