Need more ideas for Toms!

[Westi]

I suppose this is directed more to Stravaig, but the more responses the better!

The tomatoes are still producing including the big guys in the tunnel & a couple of the self sown outside have shrugged off the blight & have fruit very near to ripe & will quickly fully ripen inside. I was thinking Stravaig as you are so well travelled, but actually also living in all these areas you have probably seen a lot of different incarnations of tomatoes. And all others, as being from all around the UK I suspect there are still some traditional local recipes not nicked by some chef as their idea!

I have the freezer full of soups, passata; frozen, bottled, fermented, made tarts, ketchup - you name it! What I was thinking was probably some base recipes with the appropriate herbs, spices & other sneaky traditional things from specific areas added & then as I used them I would add the appropriate protein/veg element to bulk out. I made a resolution this year to use all the toms, but never envisaged the success. As Mr is now downstairs I have an empty room, well will be very shortly when I finish putting some more of his 'fashion statements' in the charity bags; he's a man that keeps everything. The room will still be available for visitors but I am buying a counter top mini freezer which won't intrude on them, but may disappoint if they expect champagne in it!

Cheers in advance as always!

[Stravaig]

Hi Westi,

Sorry, I'd like to help but you've already mentioned everything I'd first thought of. Countertop freezer is a good idea, though. I also have one. LOL! I don't have champagne in mine either.

I guess a glut is a glut. Can you sell either the tomatoes unprepped or ready-made items eg soup at a farmers' market or somewhere? Or maybe you could give some away to the likes of a soup kitchen, which is run to feed people who can't afford food. Disgraceful.

If I had too may tomatoes, I would make a soup that is very similar to the popular tinned version. I can cobble together a 'recipe' for you if wanted.

I also thought along the lines of sun-dried, which in this country generally means oven or deyhdrator dried. But you already seem to have implemented every type of preservation method.

You're asking about what I ate on my travels - ha ha, in Iraq there was a phase where it was "rice and red stuff" every day. I got so sick of it that when I went on a three week holiday I said that I wouldn't eat a tomato for all that time. Even now, after all these years, people still say to me, "You don't like tomatoes, do you?" I DO like tomatoes but not as the main component of every meal every day!

I'm growing a few toms but mostly still buy them from supermarkets - lack of space and fitness to do more. I'm trying to think what I use them for. Mexican eggs (probably as Mexican as I am and I haven't even been to Mexico, let alone lived there). I was thinking of adding that to the existing thread about eggs anyway. Jolly tasty!

Indian kachumber (salad) but depends on what other ingredients you have to hand or might want to buy, eg red onions, coriander, etc.

I expect the River Cottage has plenty ideas for gluts - and I have several of their books but there's too many obstacles in the way for me to be able to get to them. A consequence of moving out of the rented flat and back into our own home.

[Westi]

Thanks Stravaig!

I completely forgot River Cottage, they challenge each other a lot to come up with new ideas for their menus to keep it seasonal. Which box these books are in the garage is another issue, but in communication with my lottie neighbour at the moment to help me clear out the garage of Mr's hoard of rubbish. My lottie neighbour is a hoarder as well, but always my go to for bits & bobs & he can grab them as has a storage system. Mind hubby's extensive collection of 'keep fit' stuff does make me giggle, especially as some still wrapped & never used..neighbour might make a few quid from them as he will never accept payment for his toil, except for petrol. I had to be a bit insistent that I hire a skip as he usually just loads up his car & makes multiple trips to the tip. He's in his 70's!

[retropants]

Hi Westi, how about enchilada sauce?I found a lovely recipe on pinterest (part of a complete dish recipe) I'll see if I can find it for you

[robo]

I think the charity kitchens is the best idea . I give a lot of mine to family but we seem to suffer more blight than most , I had 10 tumbling toms growing in baskets I put the baskets in a line and put netting under them I just go and fill a bag each day by picking of the netting every body is getting fed up with bags of small tomatoes,I’ve started to roast them then put in a Kilner jar and topping up with olive oil I will have to see in a couple of months to see how the go

[Westi]

Cheers retropants & robo!

retropants, I like the idea of enchilada sauce for something different. I'm always on pinterest looking for recipes as I like the fact it is world wide & sometimes you get ideas comparing recipes from different counties where you see the little changes in herbs & whether yoghurt, cream, buttermilk or milk. They look the same end result but taste is different.

I haven't tried saving things in olive oil since my disaster with globe artichokes. All the flaf around stopping them going brown, digging out the choke etc. I bottled them & they all turned black, back to the drawing room with, that but I hardly use them & a bought bottle lasts ages. I leave them for the pretty flowers & the bees now. Robo let us know if yours are successful.

[retropants]

https://pin.it/RTEGvm1

Apparently that is the link copied from Pinterest??

Looks a bit iffy doesn’t it and probably won’t work, so…….

Search for ‘Mexican chicken & rice bake’ (from ‘slimming eats’) it’s delish.

[oldherbaceous]

A shame they don’t still put people in the local Stocks….as you could have had great fun with your surplus tomatoes!

[Geoff]

Now there's a thread that could run and run - nominations!

[Primrose]

We drink a lot of V8 juice in our house as we really like the flavour (think it,s the added celery salt which adds the "bite". and as we,ve got a lot of oven roasted herbed tomatoes in our freezer am thinking it might be interesting to try and convert some of the containers of it into a tasty non alcoholic cocktail drink.

[Westi]

Hi Primrose, I have been looking at making tomato juice. Big fail trying to use up the cherry toms as they are too watery, but I have made lot's of passata from the beefsteaks & thinking about watering this down with the cherry tom juice. Will test on Mr as he loves any juice, which is a good job with the soft fruit overload! Thanks for the hint of the celery salt .

[Primrose]

Westi. I,ve come to the conclusion that cherry tomatoes make "thin" juice because their small size automatically limits the amount of "flesh"" available to thicken up any subsequent purree or juice.

We,,ve reduced the number of small tomatoes grown this year and just had four tumbling plants in patio pots (as they mature earlier & avoid Blight hopefully ) plus a couple of small tomato upright plants ( Primabella) recommended by someone on here years ago.. All our remaining plants were larger fruited varieties as they prove more flexible for processing/preserving, which is what happens to most of them.

Much as I love tomatoes, we've had so many this year it's almost a relief to be calling an end to the season. When the good things in life start becoming " automatic arrivals on a daily basis" a brief halt is probably no bad thing. We,ve been in danger of feeling we're suffering from tomato poisoning here since July!

[oldherbaceous]

I think it was Barry, Primrose…..another member that I haven’t seen on here for a long time!