At long last, the time has come, tomatoes are back and juicier than ever, just waiting for you to turn them into the most delightful of dishes. Reap the benefits of their ripeness as soon as possible by cooking up some delectable appetizers, entrees, and snacks before these red flavor grenades leave us once more to return next year.
When the summer comes and gardens finally bless mankind with ripe and fresh tomatoes, it’s important that you capitalize on the time-sensitive offer that nature has provided. Most farming towns go insane when tomatoes come around, and for good reasons. You can have tomatoes for any and all meals of the day.
You can have them alongside your scrambled eggs for breakfast, make some BLTs for lunch, then slice them into wedges for a nice, refreshing, light dinner. With so many ways to prepare these fruits (yes, fruits!) you might wish you had a list of recipes. Well, wish no longer because we’ve compiled one!
1 – Green Tomato Relish
Using a food processor or grinder, grind up some onions, tomatoes, and red and green bell peppers. If your grinder or processor isn’t large enough, you can grind the ingredients up in batches until everything is processed.
Use a cheesecloth to drain the tomato mixture for an hour or so. Grab a large stockpot, preferably made out of something other than aluminum then add some celery seeds, mustard seeds, salt, sugar, and vinegar to your tomato mixture. Get the ingredients boiling then simmer on a low heat setting for an additional five minutes.
Be sure to stir it frequently as it cooks. Once it’s cooled down, pack the relish into jars that have been sterilized. Ensure that there are no air pockets or spaces. After filling the jar all the way up, screw the lid on. Place the jars in a stockpot and boil them. After boiling, remove the jars and leave them on a non-flammable surface until they cool down.