Top Ten Things to Do with a Surfeit of Tomatoes

We’re going to get a bumper crop of tomatoes in the next few weeks. How great is that? The only thing is, you’ll need to figure out some ways to keep some of them for later. Even the most ardent tomato fan, like me, can’t eat tomatoes morning, noon, and night. Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind when the tomatoes start rolling in; we’ll start posting recipes for some of these ideas soon, too!

10. Cook up a big batch of ketchup. How cool will it be to have homemade ketchup for your burgers and fries?
9. Experiment with exquisitely flavored spaghetti sauce and freeze it to enjoy the essence of summer in the middle of winter.
8. Chop them up for tomato chutney, relish, chop-chop, or whatever you call it, to can and keep or jar and keep for a long time in the fridge.
7. Use them for a facial. It's true; they are an astringent and can allegedly clear up acne, open pores, and generally help your skin.
6. Create a French country pizza—fresh dough topped with olive oil, sliced tomatoes, and mozzarella. Or bake them in a pie. A tart actually, but there are lots of recipes for tomato tarts out there.
5. Process a few jars of tomato jam (great with homemade ricotta on homemade bread).
4. Make sun-dried tomatoes. You can do it in the oven, and if they aren’t completely dry, they also keep marvelously packed in olive oil with garlic and spices. When you want to use them, drain them and toss with pasta; save the olive oil to make a delicious salad dressing, too.
3. Blanch, peel, and freeze them in freezer bags to make sauce or add to stews all winter.
2. Put together a gallon of gazpacho. It’s no-cook (except for skinning the tomatoes) and the perfect food for hot summer days.

And the number 1, most delicious way to enjoy homegrown Ohio Valley tomatoes—slice and eat them with a little salt and pepper or oil and vinegar—enjoy the bounty!

Look for more ideas and recipes coming soon . . . and if you have a favorite recipe to share, send it to the Enright CSA blog at farm@pricehill.org or to the Enright Greenhouse Gazette at hotchsdirt@gmail.com.