It’s Tomatoes Galore at my house: RECIPES for you
Juan, my handyman-garden-guy, said, very proud: “We didn’t plant a variety of big tomatoes– they were supposed to be small, according to the seed packet. But look at these!” He brought the first 12 in to show me, rivaling the Texas grapefruit in size.
The tomatoes benefited from our rich compost pile. At the moment the compost pile is the home of an enormous watermelon plant. The kids have been eating a watermelon a day all summer long, and one or two of the seeds decided to take root.
We made them into vegan tomato soup (see recipe below). We chopped them with cucumbers and fresh basil and tossed in some balsamic vinegar, one of Libby’s favorite foods.
We dehydrated them to make catsup later (no high-fructose corn syrup, see recipe below), into which we dipped oven-baked, unpeeled oven fries.
Okay, actually Tennyson ate them ALL after a long day of baseball. I never got any. I heard they were good.
That’s organic tomato farming for you. It’s EASY. I hate the fact that 100 yards from me are several pesticide-sprayed acres of tomatoes. (Every time I drive past it, I want to cry. It’s in our groundwater and the air.) My tomatoes are unsprayed and delicious.
See the photo? Proof positive! Organic produce is easy. So we share a little with birds and bugs. Big deal. I’d rather share, than destroy the environment.
Healthy Garden Fresh Tomato Catsup
- · 5 cups Garden Fresh Tomatoes cut into large chunks
- · 1 cup balsamic or apple cider vinegar
- · 3 cups dehydrated tomatoes
- · 1/4 cup dates
- · 1 teaspoon sea salt
- · 1 clove garlic
- · 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Blend ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth. Serve or refrigerate. This catsup is great on “healthy fries.”
Healthy Fries
Cut potatoes (sweet or white but leave skins on) into potato slices. Place on lightly oiled baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping them over when they are half cooked.
Garden Fresh Vegan Cream of Tomato Soup
- · 8 cups Garden Fresh Tomatoes cut into large chunks
- · 3 cups dehydrated tomatoes
- · 1 cup rice milk
- · 1 cup soaked raw cashews
- · 1 cup nutritional yeast
- · 2 dates
- · 3 cloves garlic
- · 1 teaspoon sea salt
- · 1 teaspoon black pepper
In a high-speed blender, blend everything until smooth except four cups of chopped tomatoes. Pour into a sauce pan. Add remaining four cups of tomatoes. Cook on a medium heat until soup starts to boil slightly. Turn to a low heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with your favorite healthy crackers and enjoy.
