We’ve learned to garden through trial and error. Lots of error. 🙂 One of our errors was that we had no idea what real tomatoes tasted like until we picked them straight from the plant for dinner. Amazing!! Since that revelation we’ve grown a ‘tomato forest’ almost every year…literally as many tomatoes as I can possibly fit into my garden. Volunteer pop up? We keep those! Someone has too many seedlings? We take them in.
But what do you DO with that many tomatoes? Here you go:
- Eat ’em fresh! Some people like a light dusting of salt or to put a slice of cheese on top and quickly broil them.
- Make sauce for now & later. If you’ve never tried it you’ll be surprised how easy it is. Bonus: YOU control the ingredients. Add more basil or oregano if you like, leave sugar out, adjust salt content, etc. This freezes beautifully for later and if you have kids who don’t like chunky sauce it blends up easily for a smooth sauce. https://cookieandkate.com/2018/simple-marinara-sauce-recipe/
- Tomato soup. It’s nothing like the stuff in the can. We’ve used this recipe for years, with a few tweaks…I use just enough olive oil, no where near 1/4c, to cook the veggies and leave out the heavy cream (a drizzle can be added when served if you really like it). https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-chiarello/homemade-tomato-soup-recipe-1916028
- Freeze them! Don’t have time to make sauce or soup right now? Neither do I! Chop the ‘maters up into quarters and spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet to place in the freezer. When they’re frozen put them in freezer bags and store until you have time to use them. Fast and easy!
- Salsa. It seriously takes 10 minutes and it’s delicious on salads, tacos, eggs, black or pinto beans or with fresh veggies. Or chips, but branch out here a little with me! 🙂 https://www.skinnytaste.com/easy-no-cook-salsa-recipe/
- Still have more tomatoes? Check out these ideas: https://www.almanac.com/content/best-tomato-recipes-ever
They’re yummy, but are they really all that great for us? Let’s see.
- They’re full of potassium. Our bodies can’t make this element so we have to eat it. It helps make the cell membrane in our hearts and every other muscle function. A deficiency can cause heart arrhythmia and muscle cramps. If you take a diuretic you may need to consume more potassium (talk to your doc!).
- And Vitamin C. This is a water soluble vitamin (so our bodies don’t store much) that helps protect our cells from damage, improves iron absorption, involved in collagen production, helps in hormone formation and helps lower cholesterol.
- And Vitamin K. This fat soluble vitamin (our bodies do store this) helps our blood clot and promotes bone health. A deficiency could cause anemia
- And Vitamin A. This fat soluble vitamin helps us see color, improves immunity and wound healing, red blood cell development and embryonic development.
- For an added nutrient boost eat tomatoes cooked and with some healthy fat. Cooking makes lycopene (an antioxidant that helps prevent some cancers) accessible to our bodies and some of the nutrients in tomatoes are only absorbed when eaten with fat.
