An abundance of tomatoes

I have had several calls concerning what to do with their abundance of fresh tomatoes. Here are some suggestions for using the tomatoes now. If you want to preserve for later us…visit the County Extension Service office and ask about their information books on how to preserve produce for later use…thanks and I will be seeing you around…Agnes

 Stewed Tomatoes

2½ cups peeled and chopped tomatoes

4 tablespoons of butter and 4 of flour

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 teaspoon of salt

Melt margarine and stir in flour. Let roux cook stirring for just about 30 seconds. Watch the heat and don’t let it brown. Add the lemon juice, tomatoes and salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer and cook for about 10 minutes or until thick.

 Tomato Sandwich:  

Spread a good mayonnaise on two slices of your favorite bread. Peel and slice a ripe tomato. Put salt and pepper on your bread and cover one slice with tomato slices. Top with the other slice of bread and enjoy. You can also add lettuce, onion, bacon, or dried beef.

 Scalloped Tomatoes

½ cup herb stuffing mix

½ teaspoon garlic salt

¼ teaspoon oregano

2 teaspoon sugar

1 quart tomatoes (fresh or canned)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoon butter

Grease 10 x 6 x 1 ½ pan. Mix tomatoes, seasoning and sugar. Put half of tomatoes in pan. Top with the stuffing, onions and ½ cup of the cheese. Spread remaining tomatoes and top with the remaining cheese. Dot tomatoes with margarine. Bake 30 minutes at 325 degrees.                                              

Gazpacho

4 large ripe tomatoes, quartered

½ small onion, sliced

4 parsley sprigs

½ cucumber, sliced

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper  

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons wine vinegar

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ cup ice water

½ cup white or red wine

Dash of Tabasco

Put all ingredients in blender. Blend until all ingredients pass thru blades. Do not over blend. Refrigerate and serve cold.

 Salsa

Mild

12 Sweet green peppers

12 Sweet red peppers

12 small onions

Hot

10 each sweet red and green peppers

18 each red and green chili peppers

15 small onions

12 large tomatoes

2 ½ cups sugar

2 tablespoon salt

1 cup lemon juice (less if you desire)

Desired seasoning and spices

Put de-seeded peppers and peeled onions in the food processor and chop or chop the old fashioned way. Put in a pan or bowl and pour enough boiling water to cover. And let stand for 10 minutes. Drain and discard liquid. Use the scalding method to peel the tomatoes (Put in boiling water for about 30 seconds.) Peel and chop. Add tomatoes, along with any juice, peppers and onions and seasoning to a pot. Slowly bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Ladle into hot jars. Adjust lids at once. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Tighten rings and store.

 Stewed Tomatoes and Okra Gumbo

2 pounds okra cut in ½ inch pieces

1 quart of tomatoes

½ cup each of celery and onions (cook separately in microwave)

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon of flour

3 slices bacon cut in small pieces and cooked. Cook in a stainless steel pot. Remove bacon from pot, set aside and pour off the grease. In a pot melt the butter, add flour and stir. Add salt, onions, celery, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce to a medium heat and cook for about 15 minutes. Add okra, return to a boil, reduce heat and cook for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle bacon on top. Serve as a side dish, as a soup or over rice.

 Gumbo for a Crowd:

(Will serve 12 hungry people.)

In a saucepan heat ¼ cup vegetable oil and stir in ½ cup flour. Cook stirring until it makes a roux the color that you want. I do not like the dark brown. Should take about 12 minutes.

In a large pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter and sauté 2 cups diced onions, ½ cup minced fresh parsley, 1 cup diced green pepper, and 1 cup diced celery for 10 minutes. Add 6 cups of chopped tomatoes, 2 cups tomato juice, 5 cups water, ¼ teaspoon dried savory, 1/8 teaspoon ground rosemary, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and the roux. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Add 3 cups of sliced okra and cook for another 10 minutes. Add 1 ½ to 2 pounds of cubed white fish and bring to a simmer.

Cook 5 minutes and add ½ pound of small peeled and deveined shrimp. Cook until shrimp are done. (About 3 to 5 minutes). Season to taste with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Serve hot over hot cooked white rice.

 Fried Green Tomato Sandwich:

Per sandwich slice green tomatoes and fry as you normally do and set aside to drain. Spread mayonnaise on one side of 2 slices of bread and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fry 2 to 3 slices bacon and layer fried green tomato slices, a slice of Vidalia onion slice, bacon, and lettuce. Cover with the remaining slice of bread. Press down on the sandwich, cut in half, and serve.

 Mock Raspberry Jam:

I use the small plum or cherry tomatoes. Wash and core green tomatoes and grind. Measure 5 cups and put in a large pot. Add 4 cups of sugar. Stir and bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off heat and add 6-oz box of raspberry Jell-O and stir until Jell-O dissolves. Put in clean hot jars, seal and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.   (Use the red or black raspberry Jell-O. I prefer the red.)