OMG - I am so sick of fresh tomatoes I could hurl. Seems it was a banner year for them here and I have resorted to drive by ditching bags of them on friends porches. I only had 4 plants and they have produced pounds and pounds of them.

Of course, the deer at the top of Mortgage Lifter, so I may have seen the last of them for the year, all the buds and baby tomatoes are gone, but Golden Jubilee and Yellow Pear are still pumping them out.

I may have to make a big batch of Annie's salsa with them - might be fun to have yellow tomato salsa this year.

Alexa

I hear ya Lindac. An almost overripe tomato, picked while
still warm from the sun. With a few grains of sea salt
and a BIG dollop of Miracle Whip.....OMG...Be still my heart.

My tomatoes are still mostly green, except for Sungold which looks like something from a jungle - huge and sprawling, loaded with green and orange fruit. We pick them every day for salad.

We have regular rabbit visitors but so far they are eating the apples and everything green and haven't found the tomatoes yet. If that happens, it's all over.

I had a caprese pasta in a restaurants (Chocolate Maven in Santa Fe for people who know NM) recently. It was angelhair pasta tossed with herbed pearl mozz, fresh tomatoes and basil with some potent chopped garlic and lovely spicy olive oil. The hot pasta over the fresh tomatoes brought out their fruitiness. I plan to do this soon.

Cheryl

I like a BLT just fine, but ever since I read the book "The Sugar Queen" earlier this year, I have been hooked on grilled tomato and cheese sandwiches! And my tomato plants are cooperating this year to keep me satisfied. And then there is tomatoes in oil and vinegar (today's lunch), and like you, LindaC, I can often be found standing over the sink with a tomato (and a salt shaker).

Oh, Alexa, our Yellow Pear is producing ridiculous quantities of fruit this year also. They almost need picking twice/day. Great salsa fresca though.

Our Mr. Stripey's are fun. They are really huge this year. Well over a pound each, I'm sure.

We had grilled ham, cheese, & tomato sandwiches for lunch with half a sliced local peach. Sandwich was good but that peach was terrific. We're going back for more tomorrow. Peaches are so variable. Some years they are awful. Others, nectar of the gods. This year, it's the later. We're going to make mini-peach pies for the freezer this weekend if the NWS doesn't activate us for the storms.

We've had so many caprese salads my tummy's always a little upset. :) It's going to be pasta tonight with fresh tomato sauce thanks to Ruthanna's post on Gellcom's thread.

Oh, we've been making roasted corn, black bean, onion, garlic, lime, & LOTS of fresh tomato salsa every few days also. That's our new substitute for potatoes/rice to go along with fish which we are also eating mucho of lately.

The dehydrators are running 24/7 to keep up & I've still got other stuff that needs dehydrating.

/tricia

I was ready to say, "It's Howdy Dooty Time" !!!! ;) But then maybe there's not many on here that would remember that program.

Ahhhhh....tomatoes. They are just getting under full motion here. Been enjoying them many ways.

Nancy

Our co-op has had a great year for tomatoes. I probably only missed eating some type of tomatoes about two days in the last month. We already canned ketchup and stewed tomatoes and froze a double batch of a Provencale tomato sauce. On Saturday, I will be cooking a big pot of Victory Relish (with peaches and tomatoes) but that's for eating now.

I only had one BLT because we limit ourselves to 1/4 lb. of bacon every two weeks so it was a real treat. I felt so nostalgic when I had a tomato the way my grandmother liked them - cut in thin wedges with a sprinkling of dark brown sugar, s & p. She'd make us wait a few minutes until the tomato juices melted the brown sugar.

Mmmm..... thanks for the idea - dinner tonight

Ruthanna,

Would you mind posting your recipe for Victory Relish?

We've got loads of toms & the local peaches are great. This sounds like a perfect match.

Thanks.

/tricia

Think dinner tonight will be a tomato with brown sugar, a la ruthanna.....and a hard boiled egg for a little protein!

LOL at Nancy. I thought Howdy Doody Time, too.

I can't get enough tomatoes. Alexa, I wish my house was closer to yours. I adore a BLT and eat a couple each week. I hardly eat bacon at all the rest of the year so I overdose during tomato season. I love grilled cheese and tomato. I love tomato on every kind of sandwich.

Tonight I am having a caprese salad for dinner. I just adore fresh tomatoes. I never get tired of them.

This recipe came from one of my aunts. It uses honey instead of sugar because it was originally from WWII when sugar was rationed. I like to serve it with a grilled ham slice.

VICTORY RELISH

22 large ripe tomatoes (8 to 10 lbs.)
7 large onions
5 pears
10 peaches
2 sweet green peppers
1 cup whole pickling spices
3 cups cider vinegar
2 1/4 to 2 3/4 cups honey

Peel and coarsely chop the tomatoes and onions. Set them aside. Peel and core the pears, and peel and pit the peaches. Seed the peppers. Coarsely chop the pears, peaches and peppers in a [food processor or] meat grinder. Tie the pickling spices loosely in a piece of cheesecloth.

Place all the ingredients in a stainless steel or enameled pan, and bring them to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours, or until the mixture is thick. Remove the pickling spices.

Place the hot relish in hot, sterilized jars and seal. Cool, then store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

[To can, pour into hot, sterilized pint canning jars, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace. Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. Store in a cool, dark place up to one year.

You can freeze this relish for up to one year.]

Makes 10 to 13 pints, depending upon the size of the tomatoes.

[]= added by my aunt to the original recipe.

Love BLTs, it's all about the T and they have cooperated this year. BLTs have been on our menu about 5 times a week-breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Oh Yum, grilled tomato and cheese sandwiches. Luv em, use a bit of onion salt on mine, cheese on both sides the tomato slices so they don't slide out. And so much faster than waiting for bacon to cook :)

Not that I turn down BLTs either...

The field tomatoes are just coming on here. I have one every day one way or another. Last night was a tomato and peameal bacon sandwich.....two actually......better than....well maybe not better than but as good as ; )

wish I could grow them because my absolute favourite is a tomato picked from the vine and eaten out of hand still warm from the sun....lick it, salt it and bite in......OK now that's better than.....;-)

I love grilled Tomatoe and cheese with a sprinkle of oregano. Yum!

DH will only be home Saturday for dinner due to business travel, so we'll be having BLTs--long one of our favorite summer meals. I'll get everything (including the multi-grain bread) at the farmer's market Saturday morning. We'll have some sweet Olathe corn with it. Yum! Can't wait!

I bought some beautiful big tomatoes last weekend for BLTs but ended up using all of them for caprese salads and a fresh tomato sauce for pasta. Soooo good!!!

My tomatoes are going like gangbusters, although I have far more green ones than ripe ones.

This year, though, my tasters must be off. I've had a couple of tomato sandwiches, and I'm thinking of Sol's Tomato Pie, but I haven't even popped a ripe Sungold into my mouth. They just don't sound good this year, for some reason.

Looks like I'll be canning a lot of them!

Annie

Oh, I forgot to add that I also thought, "It's Howdy Doody time!" when I read the subject line of this thread--ha!ha!

Thud...just got it!

How about tomato and pesto sandwiches? Lunch today - yum!

I just had some amazing bruschetta at DiCiccios. I've never had one that blew me away as much as theirs does, and you can tell the tomatoes aren't even that good of quality- they just season them so perfectly with salt and LOTS of pepper. Wish they wouldn't skimp so much on the basil, but still- I'm dying to recreate this the next time I pick up some 'maters.

how about a slice or two of bacon on those grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches? just saying.....

Yeah....grilled cheese and tomatoes...BLTs....tomato juice dripping off my elbow as I stand at the sink...
My mouth is getting sore (too much acid)....I need to go buy some more mozzerella. Think i'll have caprese for lunch...

Another vote for Howdy Doody Time!

I'm just now getting some large ripe tomatoes (besides the cherry tomatoes that I always have), and I was thinking of grilling them. I planted tomatoes late, and so I expect to have a lot more in September or October. I've not had good luck growing early tomatoes here, although I used to find Dona tomatoes when I lived in Venice. I haven't seen those lately, however, and so maybe I should try to find some seeds.

I should get some tomatoes at the Farmers' Market - they're cheaper this time of year. I use them mainly in Caprese salad instead of BLT.

Lars

So, I caught that Lindac uses mozzerella cheese on her
toasted tomato and cheese sangwiches. Is that what
everyone else uses? I've gotta try one, but I'm
thinkin maybe provelone, or even blue cheese?????
So many choices, and so little time. What's a mother
to do?

I like grilled cheese with brie, thin granny smith apple slices, & bacon on homemade oatmeal bread. Yum!

/tricia

I use mozzerella in my caprese, I use Swiss or aged cheddar in a grilled cheese.

My tomatoes are just starting but, this thread will come in handy in another month! Lots of good ideas here!

I came out of self-imposed retirement from posting on this forum only to have my hopes dashed that Lindac had been re-admitted to our conversations.

You say tomato, I say tomahto.....

Wish Linda was here too!

Dang! I saw the title and thought "Linda's back!!!!!!"

Ah, I though LindaC was back, then realized it was an old post. Regardless the sandwiches all sound wonderful. Never used to be crazy about tomatoes, but now I love them! Especially heirloom!

Me, too. I hadn't been around for ages and I got so excited when I thought she had posted. I miss her!

Me too. Sad. I loved her sparkiness and zest.

Bring back Lindac! Maybe we should bump up all of her old posts so we can enjoy her company in absentia.

Maybe not all, Pam, LOL! I miss her, too. And others.

Me too!!!

I was so excited when I saw the post.......but then saw the date :(

If you are lurking Linda hope all is well.....

Does anyone know how to reach her? Someone please tell her we miss her. She was always the first to answer when i needed help fast, and she helped me with so many things.

Linda sends her best! She's well and, a propos to this thread, looking forward to her first tomatoes for BLTs.

Dang it, It got me again. I read it the other day when it popped up, thinking she was here, and promptly forgot it evidently, because I did it again. grr!

Hey linda!