Boy, I wish you all lived near me so I could share my tomatoes with you!

I've been sharing with all my neighbors and friends. It's fun. My neighbor called the the Tomato Fairy.

I will freeze some - but, don't have alot of extra room in the freezer. I used to can tomatoes - it's a pain.

What do you like to do with your fresh tomatoes? Any ideas or favorites you want to share.

- I made veggie stew - eggplant, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms & oregano.

- salsa

- Caprazi salad - slices of tomato, mozzarella cheese, basil leaves, evoo, balsamic vinegar

- on sandwiches, on salads, on the side

Any other ideas. Thanks.

My father in law slices tomoates, puts them on a cookies sheet and ocovers them with salt, oregano powder, and garlic powder. Let them sit overnight in the fridge and Yum! They make a great side dish with dinner. I hate tomoatoes in general, but I like these .

I love tomatoes and ours have been gone for weeks but my neighbor still has them and is sharing.
What else do you do with eggplant?? I have it coming out my ears and cant even give it away. I have tried many recipes and the only way I seem to like it is fried and I cant have it fried.

I'm in the same boat! We have tomatoes up the kazoo. I LOVE them! Here is a trick I learned from none other than the queen herself, (Martha Stewart...love her or hate her she does have a few tricks up her sleeve!)

Sun-dried, (or in Martha's case) oven dried, (or in my case food dehydrator dried). The original plan is to slice many tomatoes and lay them single layer on cookie sheets and dry them for several hours in a very low oven. When they are about the consistency of a raisin you can either store them in freezer bags in the freezer, or pack them in olive oil in canning jars. You can pack TONS of tomatoes in a quart baggie. Really reduces space. When you are ready to use them, simply chop them and add to soups, stews, dips, or what ever. They are very delicious.

You don't need to peel them, the skins lose their toughness in the drying process, but they do help hold them together better. Just core and slice about 1/2 thick, sprinkle with canning salt, (or any other non-iodized salt) and for added flavors you can also top with a fresh basil leaf or chopped cilantro. Dry and store. I LOVE them.

Dgramie - I mentioned my eggplant etc. stew above. I often add garbonzo beans and shake of parm cheese. to that for protein. Also, I've made my veggie stew adding cooked mostacholli pasta, too.

I don't think you can approach eggplant that you don't fry and think it will taste like fried, of course. I love eggplant.

I have, in the past, sliced the eggplant, spray or on brush evoo, garlic, oregano, bake for about 30 minutes at about 400 degrees. Put on some mazzarella cheese the last 5 minutes. It's good.

I use eggplant when I make a pan of roasted vegetables - eggplant, peppers, mushrooms, onions, zucchini, brocoli, etc. Cut them up, put on garlic powder, salt, pepper, evoo and roast in the oven until soft. Yummy.

I take sliced eggplant, sliced tomatoes, and layer them in a casserole using garlic powder etc. Top with lite proveline cheese and bake until soft and cooked through.

I think one has to get used to it not being fried. I learned to enjoy it in many ways.

I had a billion tomatoes too, luckily my mother in law is italian (the blonde kind not the fun granny type you see on tv LOL) and she took bushels of them to her house to make SAUCE ummmm it's kinda the best thing EVER!!! I've tried to duplicate it, but no can do! She has this old fashioned press she got as a wedding present almost 50 yrs ago lol

I've always love tomatoes, but now especially since Dr. Oz told a morbidly obese woman who eats junk food to at least get the tomato on her burgers, there's somethign in tomatoes that helps fat in food be not quite as artery & heart damaging!

You might want to look up Mark Bittman's food blog at the New York Times to see if there's anything there that can help with the tomato harvest.

http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/

Can I say I wish I had your problem?

That was us last year! This year I forgot to put the powdered milk in when I planted and we got blight. I was just WAY too pregnant to care..lol. Last year we made 50 quarts of salsa 100% from our garden (well plus some spices) and 60+ quarts of spagetti sauce on top of what we ate and did other things with. I'm hoping to get the same kind of yeild next year at our new house!

I am so jealous! I LOVE tomatoes. Everyone at work makes fun of me because I snack on cherry tomatoes so often. I like to eat them plain, or sometimes I make a caprese salad with it.

I'm having some for lunch today, 2 small ones wedged up with a bit of salt. I love them, they have so much more taste than the ones from the store. I usually freeze some for soups and sauces in the winter. I didn't get as many big ones this year, we had a ton of baby/cherry size, they were delicious. I'd go out to the green house and eat my fill every once in awhile. I like tomato sandwiches with salt and pepper and a bit of mayo or in regular sandwiches. I like fresh tomatoes better than cooked.

Stuffed tomatoes, hollow out the tomatoes and stuff with some veggies off your cohice I love spinach and garlic etc

or I eat them like apples...


I also make a 'base' sauce with our fresh tomatoes, with onions garlic and herbs, this is just a basic sauce that can be used in tons off other recipes, (i have to do this as I am glutten free and it means I know exactly what is in my sauce)

I love to slice them, place a roasting tray that's been sprayed with cooking spray, and spray some more on top, add a little salt, garlic or whatever. And then I broil them. They are SO good. Goes great on fish or chicken. Or just by their lonesome. Sometimes I'll broil sliced zucchini with it. Great snack.

LoriBell, oh my, I am LOVING your idea. I'm definitely going to borrow it.

Thanks, everybody! I've gotten some GREAT ideas on what to do with my many tomatoes. I appreciate it!