An all-too-familiar site this time of year. Tomatoes, could you space yourself out over the summer?
I spoke to a fellow gardener yesterday who, like may of us, is in a quandary over mountains of tomatoes, many green.
Well, I am a big fan of picking all the green ones (I don’t go any smaller than a clementine for saving, but this is just my own personal creed) and bringing them inside to finish their ripening. Find the coolest, driest, most out of the way spot you can, out of direct light, and lay down some newspapers or my personal favorite, paper grocery bags. Spread out the tomatoes in a single layer, and try not to let them touch. You will lose a few, most definitely, but discard the little water balloons and keep enjoying the ones that do make it.
Cherokee Purple Red, Pear, and Juliet tomatoes, fresh-picked.
Here is the absolutely best tomato soup for all the ripe ones. Throw in the semi-ripe and even some green ones for an extra fresh taste. Trust me, you will love this soup and the family will gobble it up. You get extra credit for pairing it with grilled cheese sandwiches.
FRESH TOMATO SOUP
This can be doubled, tripled, etc.
Melt 2 T butter over medium heat and stir in 2 T flour until well blended. Add about 1 1/2 quarts of milk, can be skim or soy, and heat until warm. In a large pan, cook 1/2 of a chopped onion, a T sugar and about 5 processed or chopped tomatoes on medium high heat for about 10 minutes. Combine the two mixtures and add a pinch, maybe a tsp., of baking soda and watch it foam, but be mindful, it could cook over! Season and serve. So yummy.
Kellogg's Beefsteak or Breakfast is a must-have for next year. It's an heirloom variety!
You could just combine milk and cooked tomatoes and then add soda, to lighten it up. Also, freeze processed tomatoes, as many as you have the fortitude to do, and finish off the soup in the middle of winter when you need a summer pick-me-up.
Good ol Mom is still teaching me some pretty awesome tricks in life. She said that she wraps her green tomatoes in newspaper before she stores them in the cool dark basement. The newspaper keeps the tomatoes separated. She said that she may still have fresh tomatoes until mid-December. I am so trying it this year. I’ll let you know if Mom was right…