Tomatoes

This is the earliest I have ever had a large crop of ripe tomatoes. I think the weather, an early, warm Spring followed by hot and humid conditions must be responsible; but whatever caused it, we are gloriously inundated with big, plump, ripe tomatoes and I’ll bet a lot of you are too.

The tomatoes that we are enjoying now are not even remotely related to the vegetable by the same name that we buy at the supermarket in the winter. Although, I have to admit, there are a few varieties beginning to appear on the market that are closer to the real thing. No supermarket tomato that I have ever tried has been as good as the ones you grow in your own backyard—and especially in the Midwest. I have lived in California and coastal Washington State where a lot of tomatoes are grown, but they aren’t really good—they need hot nights.

Tomatoes come in 5 basic varieties: beefsteak, Holland, plum, cherry and grape. There are many variations on these basic five, but the main five denote mostly size and shape. Beefsteaks are large, meaty tomatoes that are especially great sliced. Hollands are the medium sized tomatoes that are all-purpose; many garden varieties are available. The plum tomatoes, sometimes referred to as Italian tomatoes, are less watery than other tomatoes and have fewer seeds; they’re used for sauces, stews and drying. They are one of the varieties that are available all year and taste relatively decent. Cherry tomatoes are usually about an inch in diameter, rather tart and are good in salads. And the newest member of the family, the grape tomato, is very sweet and makes a great snack for kids.

Personally, I don’t waste any garden space on the last three varieties, as they are all okay from the store, but the slicers are another story.

Of course, at this point, we are truly enjoying sliced tomatoes (we eat ours with sugar on them), and salads and BLTs and the usual fare with these great Minnesota tomatoes. But, before long, something else is going to have to be done with the bounty. Making lots of sauce, homemade salsa and catsup is easy, but if you’re really a domestic diva canning is the best way to preserve the harvest. Freezing tomatoes is not satisfactory because the tomatoes get too watery and any dish you make with them will take hours of cooking to get rid of the water.

Catsup? Yep—it’s totally delicious, but it takes a heap of tomatoes and long slow cooking, and if you’re saying to yourself who would bother making their own catsup when you can buy it so cheaply in the store, you’ve never tasted my mom’s homemade catsup.

Mom’s Ripe Tomato Catsup

1 bushel ripe tomatoes
5 cups sugar
3 cups cider vinegar
10 medium sized onions
4 Tbsp. salt
2 tsp. ground allspice
2 tsp cloves
2 tsp. mustard
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp whole black peppercorns, tied in cheesecloth

Wash and cut into pieces the tomatoes and onions.
Cook tomatoes and onions together until soft; press thru a sieve. Let stand overnight; pour off the clear liquid that comes to the top. This juice may be canned to drink. Place the remaining tomato pulp in large kettle and add sugar, vinegar and spices. Boil slowly 4 hours or until thick, stirring occasionally. Remove peppercorns and seal catsup in hot, sterilized bottles. (Makes 15 pints).

Be prepared to hoard this catsup since once your family has tasted it, they will not want store-bought again.

A really good and different and easy salad for a hot August night is this warm tomato pasta salad

Warm Tomato Pasta Salad

1 Pound pasta shells
5 cups diced tomatoes (2 pounds)
2 cups diced fresh mozzarella,
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
One-fourth cup olive oil
One-fourth cup chopped parsley
1 minced garlic clove.

Cook shells per package directions; drain. In a large bowl, toss pasta with tomatoes, cheese, onion, olive oil, parsley and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

The next recipe is only for those of you who are really tired of sliced tomatoes, tomatoes in salads, tomato sauce, etc. and are looking for something really different to do with your tomatoes. Actually you can use either red or green tomatoes for this recipe. They will taste different, but are equally good.

Fried Tomatoes with Ginger-Parsley Crust

(Adapted from Country Living, September, 2003)

Two-thirds cup flour
One and one-half tsps. sugar
1 tsp. salt
Three-fourths tsp. cayenne pepper
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. milk
3 cups bread crumbs (panko if available)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. grated fresh garlic
1 and one-half pounds large, firm tomatoes (about 3), cut into 1-inch wedges
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp vegetable oil

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and set aside. Combine flour, sugar, salt and cayenne in a shallow bowl and set aside. Whisk eggs and milk together in a small bowl and set aside. Combine bread crumbs, parsley, ginger and garlic in a shallow bowl and set aside. Dredge a tomato wedge in the flour mixture and shake off excess. Dip in the egg and roll in bread-crumb mixture to coat. Transfer coated wedges to the baking sheet and continue until all wedges are coated. Heat 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the mixture begins to foam. Fry tomatoes in small batches until golden—about 3 minutes per side. Continue with the remaining tomatoes adding more butter and oil as needed. Transfer fried tomatoes to a baking sheet and keep warm until all tomatoes are fried. Serve hot. (Optional): serve with a sauce made of one-half cup fresh orange juice with 2 Tbsp. each of brown sugar and soy sauce. Add a pinch of red pepper.