What Do I Do With All These Tomatoes?

[Boudicca]

ok bearing that in mind, you can send some my way Boudicea!!

Sure!

[JLO]

If you have a vacuum sealer they are easy to freeze.

I have vacuum frozen tomatoes now for several years, and they are perfect for cooking.  The way I do it is just vacuum tomatoes fresh picked with skin and stem attached.  When you want them after freezing, run them under hot tap water for a minute, and the skin just slips off easily.  I have not tried to eat them raw in that state, but it's great for soup, chile, stew, etc.  They retain all their water, so adjust for that.

We have 3 plants.  The two on the back deck got beat up with winds and have just a few fruit each.  But wow, the protected front deck plant is going crazy.  They are still green yet, but we're looking forward to a really good BLT in the near future 

[Chris_]

I had a nice bacon cheeseburger on toasted sourdough bread from Jack In  The Box the other day.  Lots of cheese and thick slices of tomato and you're in business.

[JLO]

Awhile back, hubby planted three tomato bushes.  They're producing a bumper crop.  I went out this afternoon and harvested 14 tomatoes of varying sizes.  Short of canning them, which I prefer not to do, have any of you got a favorite recipe that uses alot of tomatoes?  I can cut some up for recipes like my jambalaya, spaghetti, BLT's, etc., but of course none of those solutions will help me use up a vast quantity of tomatoes.  Hubby can give some away at work, and I can try the neighbors, BUT most of them are retired and have their own gardens.  So, I'm left contemplating the 14 tomatoes perched on my counter and knowing that outside their little buddies are multiplying worse than rabbits.  There have got to be over 60 tomatoes out there, and more buds on the plants every day.

Obviously I can consult recipe books, online cooking sites and so forth and so on, but before I do that, I'd love to hear from any of you who have some beloved recipes that call for lots of tomatoes, or heck, even just one or two.

Thanks.

Now that our plants are producing fruit - I think I'll try this.




Homemade Tomato Juice Recipe

Some tomatoes are sweeter than others, depending on their ripeness and the variety of tomato. Use the ripest tomatoes you can. Added sugar will balance the natural acidity of the tomatoes, use more or less to taste. Tabasco hot sauce is also to taste, depending on your desired level of spiciness.

What to do with the leftover tomato pulp? Try frying it up with some eggs for a tasty scramble.
Ingredients

    3 pounds very ripe garden tomatoes, cored, roughly chopped
    1 1/4 cups chopped celery with leaves
    1/3 cup chopped onion
    2 Tbsp sugar (to taste)
    1 teaspoon salt
    Pinch black pepper
    A couple shakes of Tabasco sauce, about 6-8 drops (to taste)

Method

1 Put all ingredients into a large non-reactive pot (use stainless steel, not aluminum). Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until mixture is completely soupy, about 25 minutes.

2 Force mixture through a sieve, chinoise, or food mill. Cool completely.

Store covered and chilled. Will last for about 1 week in the refrigerator.

Makes about 1 quart.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/homemade_tomato_juice/