Tomatoes galore!

Yesterday I had to rescue the tomatoes. The morning glory vines were strangling them. A number of years ago I planted the most beautiful deep blue morning glory plants on the lattice at the end of our deck. My farmer friend said I was completely crazy and she was right. The blue morning glories were fabulous, for the summer that they bloomed. Since then, no more big blue blooms, but thousands upon thousands of morning glory plants sprout in the garden.  I haven't planted the blue morning glory plants again, but am reminded of them each time I snatch a seedling from my garden.

The cherokee purple tomatoes are the best for a sandwich. Slather a dollop of mayonnaise on toasted bread, thick slice of tomato, salt and pepper, slice of cheese, baby arugula lettuce and crisp bacon and you have the best tomato sandwich in the world!

Doesn't it just make your mouth water!

Who said you can't grow lettuce in the summer. All you need is a nice piece of shady yard, mine is about 3 x 12 feet. Already harvesting the second crop and it isn't even August. Another farmer friend says she keeps it going all year long. Lettuce in January!! Now if the tomatoes would just cooperate.

The little sun gold tomatoes are so delicious that some of them never make it into the basket when I am picking. The San Marzano and Roma tomatoes are roasted on a half sheet pan, drizzled with salt and olive oil. About 50 minutes at 350 in the oven and they are shriveled having lost a lot of water and concentrated all of that tomato goodness into a delicious package. All last winter I used them to make spaghetti sauce and soup. Once they cool after coming out of the oven, just put them into quart sized freezer bags, squeeze out the air and pat them flat. Find a shelf in the freezer where you can lay them down to freeze and done! When I use them to make soup or spaghetti sauce, I just thaw and put the contents of the bag into the blender which grinds them up, skins and all. Yummy!

First cut the tomatoes in half.

Cut out the stem and scoop out the seeds, then sprinkle Kosher salt and drizzle with olive oil.

Roast on the middle shelf of the oven at 375 for about 50 minutes.

Cool and place in a zip lock bag, squeeze out the air and seal. Place flat in the freezer until completely frozen. Use all winter for yummy soup and spaghetti sauce.

When I was at the Atlanta Botanical Garden last week, I saw a great way to stake tomatoes. It used 4 long bamboo stalks, shaped like a teepee with a square bottom. Then cross pieces were attached from pole to pole for added strength. Tomato plants were placed at the base of each vertical pole. I am going to try that next year. Last year I had to tie the tomato cages to the chain length fence to keep them upright, they were so full of tomatoes. So far this year all are still upright with just stakes and cages. The advantage to the bamboo teepee would seem to be that it allows more air around the plants. They get too crowded all wadded up in the tomato cage. Now I just need to find some bamboo this year to have it on hand next May.

The best thing to eat in the summer in that tomato sandwich, standing at the sink with the juices dripping down your chin, can hardly wait till tomorrow for the next one!