Too many tomatoes

1. 79

   elayne001posted 13 years ago

   Okay, so I have been having so much success growing tomatoes. I had some great lettuce but then it bolted and I started some more but don't have enough to make salad every day. Does anyone have a recipe for tomato juice similar to V-8. What else can you do with tomatoes. I give them away, cook with them, but would rather eat them raw if possible.

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      sarovaiposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Tomato juice with sugar , I like. I prepare myself.

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   2. 56

      GojiJuiceGoodnessposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      We eat tomatoes sliced on a sandwich with mayonnaise or cheese. You could also add some pickles.
      
      You can make tuna salad, slice off the top of the tomato & empty it. Stir the insides of the tomato into the tuna salad & then stuff the tomatoes with this tuna. It's great for a snack or meal.
      
      We also make a vinaigrette/Italian salad dressing type thing & slice tomatoes into a pan & pour this over it.
      
      We also make basil pesto, grated cheese, cooked noodles and diced tomatoes together for a meal or snack.
      
      There are zillions of things to do with tomatoes, as we have learned. During the summer, we generally have about 1 bushel of tomatoes in the house at all times--we spread them across the kitchen counter & it takes up a space about 3x8 feet. I know what you mean about having lots of tomatoes!

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         sagebrush_mamaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Tomato sandwiches are the BEST!!!!  I'm loving the beginning of the tomato harvest!

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      much_more_gooderposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      As a housewife of a single income family, I am always looking for new ways to pinch pennies. When tomatoes in my local store go on sale, I'll buy a bunch and immediately make a big batch of homemade spaghetti sauce, divide them up into different jars and then freeze them. Sometimes I'll get fancy and make different flavored ones like Classico. However, when it's homemade, I know what goes in them, and it's certainly NOT preservatives.

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2. 62

   Mishaposted 13 years ago

   Then just it eat them raw.
   
   Slice them, put into a bowl and add a bit of salt and oil. Mayonnaise will work too, as well as heavy cream. Enjoy

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   1. 79

      elayne001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Misha. I do that too, but I can only take so many raw tomatoes. I have been cooking tortellini, drain, through in a bunch of tomato and adding pesto sauce. That is my favorite for sure, but not every meal : )

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3. 71

   tonymac04posted 13 years ago

   Tomatoes can be frozen while fresh. Wrap them individually in cling wrap and pop them into the freezer. When you need a tomatoe for a stew or casserole take it out and thaw it slightly. Removing the cling wrap will automatically peal the tomatoe so you have a ready-peeled tomatoe to shove into the stew or casserole! Hope that helps!

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   1. 79

      elayne001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Good idea tonymac04 - I will try that - I like the idea of ready-peeled tomatos!

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4. 61

   just jobsposted 13 years ago

   We can a couple hundred pounds of tomatoes every year. We have just started canning the juice too, instead of letting it go down the sink - it makes terrific tomato soup. Use home-jarred tomatoes in place of any canned tomato in a recipe, and it will improve the recipe 100%.

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   1. 79

      elayne001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for your advice just jobs. I haven't canned in years, but guess I could start again. It seems much cheaper just to buy the cans nowadays in bulk. I did make juice yesterday with my tomatoes, but probably need to mix it with carrot juice or some other veggie to get the taste I desire.

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      1. 61

         just jobsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         It might be cheaper, but I doubt it. And you can't compare the cost of the crappy, nutrient-poor canned tomatoes with the organic, nutrient-rich, infinitely tastier home-canned tomatoes.
         
         Good luck!

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5. 64

   Greek Oneposted 13 years ago

   In the context of this forum thread, are 'tomatoes' a food item, or a code word for something naughty?

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   1. 79

      elayne001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      You can make it anything you want it to be : )

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6. 0

   Justine76posted 13 years ago

   how about salsa? or you can use the juice in a tomato aspic, or tomato cake. Tomato sandwiches, or put slices on pizza.

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   1. 79

      elayne001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      all great ideas - justine, now I'm getting more hungry for tomatos.

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7. 0

   kimberlyslyricsposted 13 years ago

   is it tomato or tomato?

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   1. 79

      elayne001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      depends on which school or is it school you come from (New Zealanders say shoool for school).

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   2. 72

      sarovaiposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      tomatoes. O.k.

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8. 86

   IzzyMposted 13 years ago

   I don't know how Tonymac freezes his tomatoes, because any time I have tried it, they defrost into a mushy mess - something to do with the high water content. However they do freeze well if you skin, quarter and remove the liquid and the seeds, then freeze flat on a tray. Once completely frozen this way, pop them in a baggie and they'll keep for long enough in the freezer. Great to add to cooked dishes where you would maybe normally use canned tomatoes.
   Other great way to freeze is to peel and chop them, and fry in olive oil until a lot of the liquid has reduced. Then freeze.
   You can also make a frito with chopped skinned tomatoes - fry in olive oil with chopped onion, garlic, teaspoon salt and teaspoon sugar (or to taste). Bubble gently for 20-30 mins or so, then put through the kitchen mixer or liquidiser to get all the lumps out. Then freeze or can.
   And yes, I wrote a hub about this! lol

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   1. 79

      elayne001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks so much IzzyM. You sound very knowledgeable about tomatoes. I will check out your hub too.

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9. 0

   ralwusposted 13 years ago

   pickle or fry the green ones and tomato pie is good, slice up ripe ones and add w vinegar and sugar for a treat, blender with salt and pepper and vodka, stewed and BLTs are great, and rotten ones can be composted or thrown at politicians, or kids on bikes. jk

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   1. 67

      blondepoetposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Good morning Ralwus my dear friend xo

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10. 67

    blondepoetposted 13 years ago

    What about a good ole hearty yummy tomato sauce. I drown everything with sauce.

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11. 0

    ralwusposted 13 years ago

    hello BP kiss kiss

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    1. 67

       blondepoetposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       here is a smacker right back at you xo
       
       <off-topic graphic snipped>

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12. 0

    ralwusposted 13 years ago

    Oh boy!

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    1. 67

       blondepoetposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       This is your day today Charlie. xo

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13. 0

    ralwusposted 13 years ago

    seems to be. better tomorrow i hope. it's rainy and nast today, and cold. I need you to embrace me with those 44's.

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    1. 67

       blondepoetposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Hahaha on my way

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14. 0

    ralwusposted 13 years ago

    I wish. been fun darlin', I must go now, duty calls and the parrot.

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    1. 67

       blondepoetposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Cya Charlie

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15. 61

    ediggityposted 13 years ago

    http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/brusch … and_basil/
    
    Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil Recipe
    INGREDIENTS
    6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
    6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped.
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
    1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread
    1/4 cup olive oil
    
    
    or
    
    
    
    Pico de Gallo
    
    http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,p … lo,FF.html

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16. 68

    alternate poetposted 13 years ago

    nothing better than sliced thick, sprinkle with basil and olive oil and a little salt (or sugar - or both) leave to marinade 30 minutes - eat with french bread if you can get it.
    
    Bolted lettuce - chop it up into thick slices, leaves stalk and all - then fry them on high in a little olive oil for a minute, add good splash of wine if you have it and sizzle it off, then add a good splash of soy sauce, turn down the heat and cover for couple minutes.  Season if it needs it. Delicious as a veg part of a meal.

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17. 60

    Corinposted 13 years ago

    You can make tomato jam

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18. 60

    Csjun89posted 13 years ago

    I've eaten a tomato dessert where they froze a tomato, emptied out the insides and added ice cream in, perhaps you could look around for the recipe to that if you found that interesting?

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19. 60

    Merlin Fraserposted 13 years ago

    Tomatoes are probably the most versatile of fruits when it comes to preserving them for winter use and like many of the other comments above you can’t beat home grown for taste or nutrition.
    Here’s a short list of some of the things my ex wife and I used to do with our surplus.
    Tiny Cherry or small plum tomatoes are great for bottling in Kilner type sealing jars.  (We preferred the all glass type jars with rubber seals to the tin lidded variety).
    Have a pan of water at a rolling boil on the stove a basin full of cold water and your jars ready.  Place the tomatoes into the boiling water a few at a time for a couple of minutes fish them out and plunge them into the cold water and skin them. Try to keep them whole.  Place them into the jar a layer at a time add a sprinkle of salt then another layer a sprinkle of salt and so on to the top packing them as tightly as you can.
    
    Wipe the jar rims and put on the lids loosely. Put the jars into a large pan of warm water (which should nearly reach the lids) and slowly bring to the boil.  Place a linen cloth on the bottom of the pan so the jars do not come into direct contact with its hot base.  Bring up the heat until water boils, Simmer for 40 minutes.  Remove the jars from the water and tightly seal the lids.  These tomatoes will store for a year in the dark.
    Freezing is even easier, if you use those plastic take away tubs with lids you’ll find the quantity is about the same as a regular can of tomatoes.
    Any type of tomato works here, use the boiling water and cold plunge method to skin the tomatoes cut them to fit the tub and give them a sprinkle of salt and pop them into the freezer they stack well.
    I noticed above someone was anti freezing because the tomatoes defrost all mushy,  SO ?  They are just perfect for cooking sauces such as Bolognaise, or any cooking that uses a can of tomatoes. 
    Check out on online, You can air dry tomatoes in a fan oven then bottle them in olive oil ready to blitz for a quick sauce or a do it yourself  Red Pesto Sauce.

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20. 0

    Audreveaposted 13 years ago

    Tomato / Bean salad? Needs no lettuce..
    
    Avocado chunks go in there nicely too (yum!).

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21. 78

    Jack Burtonposted 13 years ago

    You've inspired me to post my tomato soup recipe up on my hubs. Look for it under my name. I think you'll like it -- everyone else does. :-)

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22. 74

    WriteAngledposted 13 years ago

    No, you can never have too many tomatoes! I eat them whole like fruit, have them in salads, grill them, cook with them.
    
    I am dead jealous of you. I tried growing about 10 plants last year and did not get a single ripe one *cry*

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23. 60

    Fuschia Foodieposted 13 years ago

    If you have a juicer throw in tomatoes, carrots, cucumber, bell pepper, and celery. Add a dash of Braggs liquid aminos. Makes a yummy raw juice. Sometimes I also juice in garlic and/or ginger root. You can even add a dash of cayenne. Yum!

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24. 61

    weeyoposted 13 years ago

    Easy and yummy--sliced tomato, mozarella cheese and basil with a little olive oil is a great treat.

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25. 74

    Lady Roseposted 13 years ago

    I am from Spain, and in my country there is a traditional summer soup called "Gazpacho" which is delicious, packed with vitamins and super refreshing on a hot day. It can even be your lunch.
    For 2 people,
    Cut 6 tomatos in half and scrape the insides through the bigger holes of your grater.
    Blend 2-3 garlic cloves, half a cucomber and a slice of bread.
    Pour everything into a glass jug or big container. Add some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and some vinegar or lemon juice, Stir well.
    Add some slushed ice and eat right away for more vitamin power.
    You can keep it in the fridge for a few hours later and add some ice cubes just before serving.

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26. 60

    sagebrush_mamaposted 13 years ago

    I have a couple of hubs for salsa recipes.  You can make a red salsa by boiling your tomatoes along with peppers and onion/garlic, and it will freeze well for use later.  You can make a fresh "Pico de Gallo" style salsa or salsa "Bandera" (flag salsa, because of the colors).  Fresh salsas are my favorite, but the frozen ones are nice for fall/winter, when the garden is done, and the store prices again creep too high.

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27. 64

    kmackey32posted 13 years ago

    I dont like tomatoes... Funny thing is I grow them. Some people like fried green tomatoes...

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28. 61

    sabrinaaqposted 13 years ago

    I grow tomatoes and i always use them to make a super simple tomato salad. Just tomatoes with red onions, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, and olive oil! i have a recipe on my hub! its soooooo yummy!!!

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29. 68

    Sunny Robinsonposted 13 years ago

    Oh my gosh.  I love this entire thread.  ENTIRE THREAD! Full of tomato recipes.  Oh dear.  <3  I am also known for eating a whole tomato raw.  Now, I wish I had grown them this year.
    
    My uses for tomatoes are very simple and boring, indeed.  I wish I had thought of all this stuff people have posted.
    
    Here's what I do with them!
    - Tall stacking sandwich with sliced tomatoes, lettuce, red pepper relish, mayonnaise, and ketchup.
    - In variety of salads, of course.  I tend to go overboard with tomatoes.
    - I like them fresh and raw ontop of any cooked goods like stir fry, chicken, mashed potatoes, etc.
    
    That's really all.  Thank you so much for starting this thread because now I want to do more with tomatoes!

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