Garden Goodies: Tomato Fest!

Posted by Deb Puchalla

Decades ago, on the road back from the beach at August's start, we stopped at a farm stand on Route 2 near Norwich, Connecticut, for a few of the brightest, juiciest, fattest tomatoes around. At home, my father sliced them up thick and piled them on white bread with mayo, salt, and pepper. A couple of weeks later, when the plump tomatoes marched up along the windowsill and along the counter like so many soldiers, Mom made a vat of tomato sauce that we tested (again, on white bread, sorry, just a spoonful) until the basil and oregano were just so. She'd pour it into coffee cans saved for months and stack them in the freezer. Some things don't change. My family and I arrived last night at a beach rental in Rhode Island, and my friend Marni told me the farmer up the road promises heirlooms on Friday. I'm giddy with anticipation.

Good thing we have this party going on; I'll know what to do with them. One of the things I love about the weekly get-togethers we're cohosting with Margaret at A Way to Garden is that so many foodies and gardeners chime in with new ways and old ways to use familiar friends from the vegetable patch.

Once the beauties come in (I hear from garden folks it's been cool and in many spots rainy so lots of tomatoes are yet to ripen) my family and Marni's will sit down to mixed tomato salad with some burgers. We've produced a ton of tomato recipes at Everyday Food (and at Living -- check out the recent excerpt from Amy Goldman's amazing new tomato book; for more, check out our gallery of tomato deliciousness). Another contender is our Shrimp, Tomato, and Basil Pasta, a perennial favorite that graced Great Food Fast, our best-selling cookbook.

On the menu for one meal is cod that has yet to come off the boat, broiled and covered with buttery breadcrumbs and the fresh tomato-herb topping that went along with this bruschetta recipe from a while back. Another night, we'll enjoy grilled steak with a Southwestern three-tomato salsa.

But it's nice to taste something new with fresh produce. Lori has a tomato-cucumber salad; not so different, Feelslikehome has a cuke-tomato salsa. Karen's favorite tomato recipe is an updated Caprese salad: lightly salted slices with fresh mozzarella, basil, and (here's the twist) prosciutto, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and the best olive oil. Sounds good, right? (And it doesn't even need a recipe!) Rachel Ann at A Kitchen of Her Own made a summer chili I can't wait to taste. And even in a rented kitchen, I'm tempted to try one of the Southern-style tomato pies that I keep hearing about, too--maybe this one? Andrea’s linguine with peppers and grape tomatoes looks fantastic, and Dianne's tomato goat cheese pizza tart seems super decadent and can't-miss. Meantime, Frugalupstate has green tomatoes and knows what to do with them. Oh, the possibilities. And we need only to wait until the farm-stand guy's ready!

Hope to see and hear from you here, and on Twitter.

Stumble It!

Comments

[A Cowboy's Wife]

Looks great! Sorry I'm not that imaginative with my recipes.

[napa farmhouse 1885]

i joined the party again http://napafarmhouse1885.blogspot.com/2008/08/is-it-tomato-fest-time-yet.html
check out my blog post ..talked about my obsession with tomatoes..and added a few recipes.
1. heirloom tomato and white bean salad
2. pico di gallo
3. heirloom tomato tapenade with bruschetta

can't wait to try all the others...

[Dayna]

I never thought I'd enjoy this cold soup until a little pressure and intimidation came my way.
Although the humble toasted tomato sandwich tops my list, once the tomatoes really start to ripen, I can't help but find myself lining up to make gazpacho. Inspired by the infamous Al from the Soup Kitchen International and a few years of practice, I think I've gotten pretty close to a classic.

http://veganvisitor.wordpress.com/2007/08/28/no-hot-soup-for-you/

[Karen]

Yum! That bruschetta recipe has got me salivating! I can’t wait to try it.

Deb already gave you my updated Caprese salad (so good I could eat it all the time!) so I decided to do a Green Tomato Salad. Our au pair this year, Vicky, is from Columbia, and this is a modified version of her mother’s recipe. It is so good and tart, it is almost like a pickle or a salsa but not. It really has its own super super fresh summery taste.

http://peckedbyducks.com/2008/08/14/columbian-green-tomato-salad/

[Carol, May Dreams Gardens]

I've joined in via A Way to Garden and offer up some of my favorite tomatoes, ways to grow them, and ways to celebrate them. http://tinyurl.com/5vueyl

[Rachel]

I used homegrown heirloom tomatoes in my corn/tomato/cabbage salad:
http://coconutlime.blogspot.com/2008/08/sunshine-salad.html

[Tara @ Feels like home]

I really look forward to the food fests every week. There are some great recipes in there. Can't wait for corn!

[gina]

Hi Deb! Oh this is going to be great! I can't think of a better way to spend a Thursday than finding new crap to do with tomaotes.

My post is up with my favorite way to use tomatoes including tomato sandwich, salsa and sundried tomatoes.
http://myskinnygarden.blogspot.com/2008/08/tomato-fest-now-that-my-kinda-fest.html

Thanks for organizing this!

[sandygluck]

Hey Deb and M,
Here's my mother-in-law's tomato jam. Planning on making a big batch next weekend with 22 pounds of tomatoes from my local farmers' mkt.
Margaret Stieber’s tomato jam
5 pounds tomatoes
2 oranges
2 lemons
2 to 3 cups granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds

In a large pot of boiling water, blanch tomatoes for 10 seconds. Remove, peel, seed, and coarsely chop. Squeeze excess liquid from tomatoes (I did this in a bowl and then had tomato juice to drink.)
In a large, heavy bottomed pot bring tomatoes to a boil over medium heat. Boil, stirring frequently for 20 minutes. Zest (in wide strips) oranges and lemons, then juice them. Add the juice and then the sugar, 1 cup at a time (taste for sweetness, apparently – according to my husband, I didn’t make it sweet enough, but you’ll have to decide for yourself), stirring until combined.
In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the orange and lemon zest for 3 minutes; drain. Add zest to pot along with vanilla bean, cinnamon, and coriander seeds. Stir to combine, taste for sweetness and remove from heat. Refrigerate overnight.
The next day, bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until thick and glossy.

[Dianne]

These look great! I can't wait to try some of them!

[laura]

We enjoy cool summers where I live, so I've yet to tackle growing tomatoes in the garden. Because good quality canned tomatoes can be found, and as a morale-booster for everyone out there who gardens but might not have tomatoes, I've posted a tip about avoiding canned tomato sauce with extra junk in it and putting real ingredients into other canned tomato products instead. Thanks for another great Thursday food fest.

http://www.eatingwellanywhere.com/?p=113

[Anita / Married ...with Dinner]

I make a tomato jam, too, but mine's spicier than Sandy's... and it's got a touch of smokiness from bourbon. I'll have to give hers a try and see which one we like better. We use ours in place of ketchup and don't miss the bottled stuff at all!

And it's simple as can be:
http://marriedwithdinner.com/2007/09/27/low-key-jam-session/

[Rachel Valley]

Here is a fabulous twist on the Bloody Mary, from bar manager Chris Tucker at the L Wine Lounge in Sacramento, California, using green heirloom tomatoes.

Don't miss this earthy and spicy drink, with it's shocking green color and Fleur de Sel and ancho chile powder rim! This drink will surely get eyes popping & tongues wagging!

http://locavorelifestyle.blogspot.com/2008/08/heirloom-tomato-bloody-mary.html

Cheers!

[Amy Goldman]

August 14, 2008 field notes from the garden of Amy Goldman
Rhinebeck, New York
This is a disappointing year for tomatoes. At the ides of August, when my tomato garden is usually at full tilt, there are not nearly enough ripe fruits. Productivity is way down, the crop is late, and blight is slowly on the march.
Diversification is good, though, because some plants are prospering - in particular, those that enjoy getting their feet wet and don’t seem to care about low light intensity. I can see at first glance that the currant and cherry tomatoes - the littlest sorts - are going gangbusters.
It’s now 8:03 a.m. in the tomato patch. There’s a cool light breeze. The sun just peeked out from behind the clouds. Crows crow in the distance. I can smell the musky straw beneath my feet, and it crackles as I walk along the rows.
500 plants in my tomato garden this year. I’ve scaled back fifty percent from last year and the previous five years - by half. Wanted to allow myself the luxury of sweet corn, beans, eggplants, peppers and more.
Most of the tomato fruit is still green. But determinate plants - early sorts - have already set ripe fruit and are past due. There are some good-sized beefsteaks and plums to come.
The hard-shelled gourds are in their white-flowered morning glory - bottle gourds hang in profusion along a ninety-foot-long pergola.
And already this morning I’ve harvested Golden Delicious, Cushaw, and Winter Luxury Pie squashes. Melons and watermelons are doing well, too. Witness the ripe Cranes, Jenny Linds, Cochiti Pueblos, Golden Midgets, and Blacktail Mountains.
At second and third glance, I see that many tomato plants are strutting their stuff. And some with fruit are loaded: Marglobe, Ceylon, Thai Pink, Speckled Roman, Costoluto Genovese. There are ripe Quisenberry Mortgage Lifters, weighing in at about a pound and a half. The King Humbert tomato thrives in wet times and dry. (This is the ancestor of the famous San Marzano.)
A big whoop just went up from Rhinebeck: I’ve found a monstrously large Mullen’s Mortgage Lifter that looks like two pounds plus. I am heartened - I will not go hungry!
I pick my first ripe Flamme tomato, tangerine with a blush of red on the inside, one of my very favorites - and Joan Dye Gussow’s, too. I’ll bring it into the kitchen now to make breakfast.
Do like I do and make an Open-Faced Tomato and Sunny-Side-Up Egg Sandwich:
In a saute pan, melt a teaspoon or so of butter over moderate heat. Crack an egg into the butter. Lower the heat so that the whites cook through and the yolk is warm. Toast the bread, and spread a light coating of mayonnaise on the bread. Place a thick slice of tomato on top of the mayo. Then top with the egg and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
No need to go to the drive-through when a superior breakfast sandwich can be so easily constructed. This is something even a little one could love - so create childhood taste memories.
Amy

[Willi @ DigginFood]

This food fest is so much fun! I found my way over here from Away to Garden, and wanted to share a super simple, summer supper idea. It's a great way to use up cherry tomatoes and is the perfect supper for a busy weeknight. Bucatini with Citrusy Cherry Tomatoes:

http://www.digginfood.com/2008/08/pasta-with-citrusy-cherry-tomatoes/

Happy gardening (and eating)!

[Apples and Butter]

I love summer for a lot of reasons, but at the absolute top of that list is tomato season. Maybe it has to do with all the anticipation that starts when the plants go in the ground in late March or April and then the months of waiting until finally, you see that first globe appear and then start to color. Love, love, love it!

I stumbled upon this food fest while checking out the Everyday Food site and since it's on one of my favorite topics, tomatoes, thought I would join the party. I make a quick gazpacho that isn't traditional in that it doesn't use bread, but is delicious just the same. Best of all, it's super fast so you can quiet that craving for fresh tomato goodness even faster.

Check it out (along with a few other tomato recipes) here: http://applesandbutter.blogspot.com/search/label/Tomatoes

Thanks for sharing all the wonderful recipes and I can't wait to try them out!

[Gayla]

I wrote my Tomato Love Fest post [http://tiny.cc/rrTI8] but am reminded by yours that I forgot Caprese Salad. I'm so obsessed I've taken to making my own cheese to go along with it. You can't go wrong with tomatoes.

[Rachel Weidinger]

Thanks for the mention, Deb. Watch out...I've been craving that light yellow summery chili every day! Addicting. I think you're writing about everyday good (and different) food, not the same delicious soup every day! :)

I'll test Dianne's tomato goat cheese pizza tart. I'm on the hunt for a sweet tomato tart recipe. Anybody have one they like, using tomatoes more like fruit?

[Caroline Wright]

Hi Deb!

It's so great that everyone is pitching in wonderfully helpful hints and recipe ideas!

My favorite treatment for the perfect summer tomato is as simple as possible: classic caprese, or a simple salad of walnuts, tarragon and walnut oil I had in cooking school. Having really fresh and seasonal tomatoes are one of my favorite memories I try to have last all year! (Especially when I'm in a diner sometime in mid-December, poking at some sort of mealy, grey specimen asking myself if it's worth it to eat.)

Thanks, Deb--

[Deb Puchalla]

Wow! Love to see familiar and new faces! Great recipes to try, lovely ideas. Keep em coming and cross fingers for all the gardener types waiting for the time to be ripe.
Deb

[Martha Stewart]

Hi Deb,
It's true - versatile and delicious tomatoes really get the culinary imagination wheels spinning. I love creating new recipes when my tomato patch starts producing. As you know, my father was an avid gardener, taking special pride in his rather amazing tomato yield. I have very fond memories from childhood of taking the salt shaker out back and finding the ripest, sun-warmed tomatoes and eating them right there in the garden. With a little sprinkling of salt I couldn't imagine a tomato tasting any better. Maybe I'll do that when I get home tonight!
Martha

[Deb Puchalla]

Now that Martha's been by the party's really starting--sounds like all we need is a little salt to shake things up some more! (Sorry, beach Deb is a little goofy, but tomatoes=summer=fun.)

[Deb Puchalla]

Now that Martha's been by the party's really starting--sounds like all we need is a little salt to shake things up some more! (Sorry, beach Deb is a little goofy, but tomatoes=summer=fun.)

[matt]

Oops! I forgot to post here! I joined the fun (Thanks Deb & Group!) with a really easy Tomato & Zucchini Gratin. And I ate the entire thing (glutton, anyone?)

http://mattbites.typepad.com/mattbites/2008/08/tomato-zucchini-gratin.html

[Kristin]

One of my favorite ways to eat tomatoes in the summer is to pile them high on a BLT--toasted white bread, juicy tomatoes, crisp bacon and just a smear of mayo. Yum!