Vents and heat waves, and everything else!

[Par4course]

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TiggerBear wrote:

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There is no such thing as too many tomatoes!

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Actually, as much as I love growing veggies, I don't have a family that eats very many of them!  What can I dowith them, other than pass them on to neighbors?  Any ideas on how to get a family interested?  My daughter agrees that they taste better straight out of the garden than from store, but with 3 adults in the family, we never seem to sit down to eat at the same time - maybe some summer salads?  I'm open to suggestions.

[becke_davis]

Par - Why not try making salsa with them? You could even try growing peppers and onions so your salsa would all be homegrown!

The Heirloom Tomato Cookbook  

Tomatoes and Mozzarella  

Super Natural Cooking  

Hot Tomatoes  

The Great Salsa Book  

Chevys and Rio Bravo Fresh Mex Cookbook  

Best 50 Salsas  

Salsas & Tacos  

Chips, Dips and Salsas  

Havana Salsa  

Salsas That Cook  

Nueva Salsa  

Message Edited by becke_davis on 08-03-2009 10:28 AM

[Par4course]

Good idea!  I have done that in the past - which is why I planted tomatoes, onions and peppers this year.  I had peas this spring - and I ate them all (not complaining!), and tried green beans, but never got enough this year to serve up at a meal.  They don't like squash, so only planted one.  I've got an eggplant (my daughter claims to like eggplant parmesian) but there's three in the fridge and no one's eating them. 

But I'll definitely make some more salsa - everyone likes that with chips.

[becke_davis]

Just reading and writing these posts is making me hungry for Mexican food. Maybe taco salad for dinner tonight?

[Melhay]

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TiggerBear wrote:

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Par4course wrote:
Hi TiggerBear and everyone!  I've not been around lately - (first week off work, and I cleaned the house from top to bottom).  Sorry about your hassles with the in-laws, TiggerBear, but glad you can find something to joke about.  Here in Southern California we've been dry, dry, dry.  But that's normal.  I've got my soaker hoses going a couple times a week, so the veggies are green at least (yard is hopeless).  I've got way too many tomatoes, a couple of green and chili peppers, and yards of vine - I'm not too sure which is which squash, but I can tell the watermelon, and I've one teeny, tiny one coming! 

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There is no such thing as too many tomatoes!

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I am glad someone is getting a lot of tomatoes.  Thursday evening before I went to bed my husband and father-in-law told me they talked to the neighbor and he got that fungus that is going around our area on his tomatoes, they are dead.  I was bothered because no one told me early enough so I could run out and get fungucide spray for the plants and get it on, since we were leaving early the next morning to go to DC for the weekend.  So needless to say my plants are infected now.  I cut them back and even removed 2 of my 16 plants, hoping to save the rest.  I went and got a fungucide spray and sprayed them all down last night.  I was disappointed that my neighbor, being the gardener he is, didn't take his plants out over the weekend.  I would have thought he would have cleaned them out right away, I guess I was wrong maybe he wasn't home either (shrugging) I don't know.  My tomatoe plants were starting to do very well and had lots of tomatoes on them, I am actually bummed out that they got sick.  I am trying very hard and keeping my fingures crossed that I am able to protect what I have and get them to liven up again.  Only time will tell.

[Par4course]

Melhay, were you able to keep the green ones?  My parents used to make a chutney or relish out of them.  I don't have the recipe anymore, but at least you might get something out of the lost vines.

[Melhay]

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Par4course wrote:
Melhay, were you able to keep the green ones?  My parents used to make a chutney or relish out of them.  I don't have the recipe anymore, but at least you might get something out of the lost vines.

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Yeah, I was able to get them but didn't know what to do with them.  I will have to look into the relish and chutney recipes, just a quick google and that should find something. 

Thanks for the idea!

[TiggerBear]

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Par4course wrote:

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TiggerBear wrote:

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There is no such thing as too many tomatoes!

---

Actually, as much as I love growing veggies, I don't have a family that eats very many of them!  What can I dowith them, other than pass them on to neighbors?  Any ideas on how to get a family interested?  My daughter agrees that they taste better straight out of the garden than from store, but with 3 adults in the family, we never seem to sit down to eat at the same time - maybe some summer salads?  I'm open to suggestions.

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Oh my so many things to do with tomatoes

salads

sandwiches

salsa

sauce

dried 

compote

stewed

canned

soups

pick a method I'll give you a recipe or an ethnicity Italian, Latin, Southern, middle America

[Par4course]

OOH- I'd love a nice Italian soup recipe using tomatoes.  I love going to Olive garden and lunching on their soups.

Also,anything to do with those eggplants?  I thought I had bought a regular eggplant plant, but it's the Japanese variety - kind of long and skinny.  I should still be able to use it in the other eggplant recipes, shouldn't I?

[becke_davis]

Eggplant  

Simply Eggplant  

Totally Eggplant  

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant  

Traveling with an Eggplant  

Eggplant Cancer Cure  

I Never Danced with an Eggplant (on a Streetcar Before)  

The Telltale Eggplant  

Essentially Eggplant  

Eggplant Cookbook  

National Gardening Association Book of Eggplant, Okra and Peppers  

The Agony and the Eggplant  

Eggplant Wife  

Death by Eggplant  

Eggplant and Squash  

Eggplant Sandwiches  

I Never Danced with an Eggplant (On a Streetcar Before)  

I searched "eggplant," never dreaming I'd find all these! (Obviously, not all are cookbooks or garden guides, but I had to include them!) 

[Par4course]

Wow!  What a list!  I may have to check out that "I never danced with an Eggplant" title.

[becke_davis]

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Par4course wrote:
Wow!  What a list!  I may have to check out that "I never danced with an Eggplant" title.

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I think I'm going to have to read a couple of those, myself.

[TiggerBear]

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Par4course wrote:

OOH- I'd love a nice Italian soup recipe using tomatoes.  I love going to Olive garden and lunching on their soups.

Also,anything to do with those eggplants?  I thought I had bought a regular eggplant plant, but it's the Japanese variety - kind of long and skinny.  I should still be able to use it in the other eggplant recipes, shouldn't I?

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Japanese eggplant actually fries better, less center mass. It does have a greener taste that comes out if you stew it. So it's best use is fried or sauteed recipes. Otherwise treat it the same.

 Been a while since I've been to an olive garden. Is the one you love best the brothy one or the pureed one? Or would you just like several Italian soup recipes, almost all of them use tomatoes?

[Par4course]

I like the broth ones, thank you.  And thanks so much for the info on eggplants.  Maybe I can cook some up tonight.  My main problem right now is the heat - no air conditioning, and we have hot, humid weather.  Hard to get in the mood to cook anything warm.

[TiggerBear]

Italian Summer soup

Chicken Broth 1qt 

Chicken stock 1qt

with either you can use vegi broth. But do not use base or cubes(too much salt for recipe). If you're not the type to make your own, buy the low sodium kind for best results.

Water 1qt

Now you got an option either keep it no meat or

3 Sweet Italian sausages pre cooked (baked, grilled, or nuked best) sliced into 1/2" slices

or

1 1/2 cps of chunked leftover grilled or Rotisserie chicken

you can splurge and go half of both too

5 or 6 med chunked tomatoes skin on (if preferred remove seeds for appearance)

3 celery stocks small dice

2 carrots med dice

1 to 2 zucchini half moon small slice

1/4cp of black olives sliced in half not length wise (rince away any brine, don't use oil packed)

1 red onion thin half moon slices

Finishing elements you can opt out on them but...

high quality olive oil in a drizzle bottle

pepper grinder (if the pink one's aren't illegal in your state, very lovely in this)

sea salt course grind or flake 

parmesan cheese

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In a 2 gal pot

add your water and carrots, bring to a low boil and cook carrots until soft

now add your zucchini, celery, onion, olives, broth, stock, and any meat bring to a med boil

add your tomatoes and literally count to 30, remove from heat

before serving drizzle a touch of oil, a pinch of salt, a grind of pepper, and cheese it  for every bowl  

Prep to finish a 15 to 20 min soup best fresh

if you have a good amount left over the next day you can

Pour warmed up soup with a drizzle of oil into your blender puree. Pour into bowl, garnish and enjoy.

questions welcome (smile)

Message Edited by TiggerBear on 08-04-2009 10:07 PM

[becke_davis]

Sounds delicious!

[TiggerBear]

Um just remembered a pretty cool use for anyone getting a lot of cherry tomatoes this year. Adult recipe, different party treat, kinda very sophisticated.

Bowl of cherry tomatoes

Bottle of Vodka

small bowl of salt

toothpicks

1 h max 2h before party poke holes in tomatoes, poor on vodka (enough to cover). Serve with tooth pick and salt bowl. 

Similar to a bloody mary on a stick.

[becke_davis]

I feel it is my duty as moderator to test this recipe! 

[Melhay]

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TiggerBear wrote:

Um just remembered a pretty cool use for anyone getting a lot of cherry tomatoes this year. Adult recipe, different party treat, kinda very sophisticated.

Bowl of cherry tomatoes

Bottle of Vodka

small bowl of salt

toothpicks

1 h max 2h before party poke holes in tomatoes, poor on vodka (enough to cover). Serve with tooth pick and salt bowl. 

Similar to a bloody mary on a stick.

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Bloody mary on a stick.  Hhmmm, I will have to give it a try.  This sounds good.  It would be a great party snack to loosen up a bit.

[Melhay]

TiggerBear that receipe sounds delicious.  I printed it out and will definitly give it a try.  I think everyone here at home will love it!!

Thanks!!