285497 Sun May 28 12:59:50 -0700 2006 23 31 Home Cooking 0 1528935 What do you like to do with them? Just curious as to what others do. I so look forward every year to these. The ones in my local grocery stores taste like card board compared to home grown. Sun May 28 12:59:50 -0700 2006 0 Spencer 1 1528936 I used to grow tomatoes when we lived in CA...haven't attempted here in AZ yet. We grew cherry tomatoes as well as larger varieties. Our ultimate favorite was to just sprinkle with a bit of salt and eat right off the vine. There is northing like a ripe tomato, warmed by the sun. Sometimes I'd eat it with a piece of fresh basil, too. Caprese Salad is incredible with fresh from the garden tomatoes. Slice into wedges along with slices of FRESH mozzarella and fresh basil leaves. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle with good salt and some freshly cracked pepper. Doesn't get any better than that. (You can also drizzle some balsamic vinegar, too.) Sun May 28 13:45:03 -0700 2006 1528935 0 wyf4lyf 1 1528940 Yes, there is nothing to compare to home grown tomatoes. Last year I harvested about 400 pounds of about 6 different varities of tomatoes. At a cost of about $4/lb at the yuppie stores thats about $1600 for a little work. We eat them with every meal, wifie makes marinara sauce and freezes it for future use, we make fresh tomato soup, and lots of sandwiches. Its great even just scliced and put between two pieces of sourdough bread. Sun May 28 14:01:51 -0700 2006 1528935 0 malibumike 1 1528946 I wait all year for tomato season, and refuse to buy even a single tomato out-of-season or shipped from another country (Chile and Mexico mostly). There realy is no bad way to eat a good tomato, but here are some favorites: Salad of sliced tomato, roasted corn, basil oil (basil pulsed with olive oil and strained) Papa al Pomodoro Sauteed in EVOO for just a few minutes, tossed in pasta with goat cheese Tomato tart Gazpacho Drizzled with aged balsamic and sprinkled w/ fleur de sel Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil panino I roast them halved, and place on a ricotta, egg and basil mixture atop puff pastry...bake and serve Or, the ultimate: Out of hand w/ a salt shaker in the other. I'm sure I'll think of more and I just may post again, you have me SO excited...thanks for your post. Sun May 28 14:23:34 -0700 2006 1528935 0 Aaron 1 1528954 Ahhh tomato plants are in the ground and happy. Can't wait for the first ones to arrive. With the very first tomato its BLTs. Well, if I can resist just slicing ate eating it with a sprikle of sea salt that is. Sun May 28 14:46:21 -0700 2006 1528935 0 chileheadmike 2 1529008 BLTAs that is. My favorite sandwich on the planet is one made with crisp bacon, homegrown vine-ripe tomatoes, buttery hass avocado, and lettuce, on toasted bread (preferably a nice wheat or seedless rye), with best foods mayo and a little salt and cracked pepper. Heaven on a plate. Mon May 29 05:37:45 -0700 2006 1528954 0 DanaB 3 1529236 Try a BBT- bacon, basil and tomato... Tue May 30 18:29:52 -0700 2006 1529008 0 Tom Hall 1 1528955 A salad of 1" cut tomatoes of all colors is lovely--drain juice a bit, then add large cubes of fresh mozzarella, then chiffonaded basil; lightly toss with vinaigrette and top w/sea salt & pepper, delish! ***I now have 38 tomato plants growing in my garden; Orange, Green, Red, Purple, Yellow, Pink and White varietals! Sun May 28 14:48:41 -0700 2006 1528935 0 Funwithfood 1 1528958 I grew up kind of poor and in the country, so we grew a lot of our food. We ate tomato and mayo sandwiches frequently. It's a comfort food for me now. Thanks for all the ideas folks. Sun May 28 14:57:04 -0700 2006 1528935 0 Spencer 1 1528969 A BLT does a good tomato proud. Or panzanella. I am an avowed tomato fanatic but (or rather therefore) I will only eat them in tomato season, and then generally only from my garden. (I prefer heirlooms) I just put my plants in the ground today! Now I have 60 days to wait . . . "only two things that money can't buy, and that's true love and home-grown tomatoes" Guy Clark Sun May 28 19:18:23 -0700 2006 1528935 0 willow 2 1528975 I took a chance and put mine in the ground in Feb. Then some more in April.(I live in Southeast Texas, where it is much warmer that many states) I got my first fruit about 2 weeks ago. I may try to learn to can this year. Sun May 28 20:00:40 -0700 2006 1528969 0 Spencer 3 1528983 I've been meaning to learn to can for years. In the meantime, frozen tomato sauce is still wonderful to find in the freezer in the winter! Texas, please don't boast about your early tomatoes! We just passed our frost-free date in upstate NY oh, today! Here, I call an early tomato end of July! Sun May 28 22:20:26 -0700 2006 1528975 0 willow 4 1528991 Well, I took a pretty big chance in planting in Feb. We usually have 1 freeze by Easter. It was such a warm winter that I decided to roll the dice. Blind luck. I will send you some early tomatos if you will send me some mild temperatures in August :) Sun May 28 23:54:58 -0700 2006 1528983 0 Spencer 1 1528982 The best is simplest: cut open a tomato warmed by the sun and sprinkle with kosher or coarse sea salt. Eat. Never refrigerate a raw tomato; below 55F, the taste and texture is compromised far too much. Sun May 28 21:35:14 -0700 2006 1528935 0 Karl S 1 1528987 Living in a foggy coastal area of Calfiornia, I can only grow cold-tolerant tomatoes, such as Stupice and Miracle Sweet. These tend to be smaller, "salad size" fruits, so I ended up falling in love with oven slow-roasted tomatoes. Halve them, sprinkle with OO, S&P, and they take on the most delicious, caramelized, condensed flavor. Took a tip from B&SIL and froze them for saucemaking later in winter. These are great and not to be missed if you grow your own. Sun May 28 23:22:02 -0700 2006 1528935 0 toodie jane 2 1528992 Slow-roast? What temp and for how long? Sounds good! Sun May 28 23:56:25 -0700 2006 1528987 0 Spencer 3 1528995 getcher recipe right here: Link: http://orangette.blogspot.com/2005/08/better-living-through-slow-roasting.html Mon May 29 00:26:26 -0700 2006 1528992 0 toodie jane 3 1529009 The recipe linked below, from Gourmet in September 1999 is my standard for slow roasted tomatoes. Link: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/102278 Mon May 29 05:57:06 -0700 2006 1528992 0 DanaB 4 1529014 That's pretty much what I do. Plum tomatoes, halved, tossed with oil (uses less), roasted overnight at lowest oven temp (175). (Timing will depend on your oven, experiment.) I freeze a lot of these. I also like Marcella Hazan's big eating tomatoes halved, topped generously with coarsely chopped garlic and olive oil (she adds parsley, but I find it just burns), salted, baked at 425 for about 1.5 hours, until they start to blacken. Good hot, cold, at room temp. Good also pureed in a food mill, as a sauce. The sauce freezes. But the first good tomatoes, raw. They go in the ground today. Mon May 29 07:30:41 -0700 2006 1529009 0 Aromatherapy 1 1529038 When the season hits here in Maryland the tomatos come in fast and furious. One tradition here is to set a small table out in front of the house (by the mailbox?) and set out any ripe/near ripe tomatos, some people place a jar on the table. You take what you want and pay what you can, strictly on the honor system. Ya gotta share the wealth sometimes. Also.. Slice a few ripe tomatos(still firm) dredge them in a little flour and pan fry in vegetable oil till brown, drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with a bit os sugar(not fried green tomatos but just as good if not better!!) Mon May 29 11:22:21 -0700 2006 1528935 0 Phu Bai 2 1529242 That tradition is almost enough to make me move there... almost. Tue May 30 19:02:10 -0700 2006 1529038 0 Tom Hall 1 1529055 We're in Michigan and we've always grown tomatoes in the summer. Whatever looks good in plants at the farmer's market, but always a beefsteak plant. Sliced with sweet onion and drizzle of EVOO and vinegar, a garnish of fresh basil, is a staple summer salad. And BLTs! Oh my! With Pepperidge Farm thin sandwich bread....the best. Mon May 29 13:47:06 -0700 2006 1528935 0 berkleybabe 1 1529082 Hey Spencer--I have a bumper crop this year; dry weather means less bugs & all of the tomato flowers are setting fruit (better boy, beefmaster, celebrity, open-pollinated creoles). I've been making simple tomato relishes lately. My inspiration was a tomato chutney from "Mangos & Curry Leaves" by Alford & Duguid; you slice some onions, chop a knob of ginger, and saute in oil until well-browned. Then you add two or three chopped ripe tomatoes, some salt, a couple of finely chopped chiles and turn the heat to low, and cook until reduced. I added garlic, tho their recipe didn't call for it. The recipe calls for a final tempering step with flavored oil, but I skipped it. The chutney was delicious with grilled meats and scooped onto pappadums. It was such a hit I devised another quick tomato relish to accompany grilled merguez on pita bread. Almost the same as above: onions, garlic browned well in oil with whole cumin, ground cardamom, salt, black pepper, and three chopped fresh cayenne peppers. Two handfuls chopped tomatoes, cook over a low flame until thick. Great flavor & color, and very easy. I found this a good way to use up the ugly tomatoes with cracks or a little bird damage or brown spots. Mon May 29 18:56:14 -0700 2006 1528935 0 Hungry Celeste 2 1529234 That sounds really good Celeste- both bumper crop and recipes! Good to hear something good from your neck of the woods. My Better Boys are growing like never before. One plant is about 5 ft. tall, with the round tomato wire thingy holding it up. The only thing I've done differently this year is I've added some Miriacle Grow once a week. Going to try some slow roated ones today, as suggested below. Good to hear from you. Tue May 30 18:21:46 -0700 2006 1529082 0 Spencer