It's Summertime. Got a good fresh tomato recipe?

[GregGraves]

Since it's the time of the year when tomatoes taste good, who has a recipe with fresh tomatoes to die for? We've already done the BLTs so does someone have an exciting recipe with fresh tomatoes? It's now or wait until next year.

[Mama Mangia]

OMG! Homegrown tomatoes are to die for!!! Over-abundance??? Canning and freezing of course - even drying! But nothing is better than a fresh pot of homemade puree simmering away on the stove for hours on end to can or freeze. Or homemade spaghetti sauce and other sauces that can be canned or frozen.

And while all this is going on - don't forget the tomato "salads" - sliced fresh mozzarella and tomato slices, overlapping each other on a serving dish - drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with fresh basil, salt and pepper ----- then there are the "eat-over-the-sink" tomato sandwiches (they drip all over!) loaded with sliced tomatoes and onions, drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper and basil ----- stuffed tomatoes with corn, rice, veggies ----- baked tomato casserole - skin tomatoes as if for canning, squeeze out seeds, chop and place in bowl with salt, pepper, parsely, garlic, pinch of sugar, grab ramekins and butter lightly, place seasoned bread crumbs in bottom, top with tomato mixture, and continue layering parfait style, top with crumbs, dot with butter and bake until nice and bubbly and heated through ----- fried tomato sandwiches, slice and skillet fry in a bit of olive oil, season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, garlic, the peels will come right off (if you want them off), pile on the crusty Italian bread and enjoy! ----- makeyour pizza dough (or buy it frozen, etc.) drizzle with a bit of olive oil, load the top with thin slices of tomatoes, season with salt, pepper, marjoram, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, top with mozzarella or provolone if you want, tomato pizza ------ don't forget breading and frying while they are green (green fried tomatoes) and don't be afraid to do the same with ripe tomatoes that are nice and firm ----- tomato wedges and onion salad, olive oil, wine vinegar, basil, salt, pepper or Italian seasoning ----- tomato pies! ----- tomato and onion pies ----- tomatoes in your omelets ----- tomatoes on any sandwiches ----- your favorite salsas (which can be canned/frozen) ----- homemade ketchup ----- I'll hush for now...............BTW - just chomp on some fresh tomatoes like you would apples! (just a few things to do with tomatoes......)

[oldbay]

I love bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches, on whole wheat bread of course. And with canola mayonnaise too. It's the simplicity and blending of the bacon and tomato flavors that mke this so good.

Or a simple tomato cucumber in chickpea salad with a little bit of basil, vinegar and olive oil on top. Fresh basil and tomato simply go together. I once was at a farms stand and they had samples of tomatoes and fresh basil leaves sitting in a tray. You'd take a slice of the tomato and place a basil leaf on top and enjoy.

I've also been known to eat tomatoes just like a peach, maybe a little salt an but I usually try to avoid salt. It is like Mama says "right over the sink." But oh they are so good.

[Jafo232]

I have been canning them for the last 2-3 weeks. I just crush-em, cook-em, can-em. I also make sauce on the fly with them and also plan on making some salsa.

There really is a lot you can do with fresh tomatoes.

[GregGraves]

Yeah, I really need to go to a farmers market and buy a bunch of tomatoes to can. I haven't done that in years and remember that they were so sweet in the wintertime when you can't get a good tasting tomato anywhere. I think the trick is to find the markets that sell tomatoes at a discount, you know the bruised and beaten ones that no one else wants, and since they get canned that doesn't matter since you remove the skins anyway.

I used to grow my own tomatoes years ago but now where I live the critters eat everything we plant so it's impossible to grow my own tomatoes. I really miss that. I did by bush tomato plant at Lowe's last weekend but I haven't planted it yet. I need to get in the ground soon; maybe right now I ought to do that

[GregGraves]

Got my tomato plant in the ground. It has 3 tomatoes on it already, so I need a little fence to keep the groundhogs out and maybe I get a few tomatoes this year!

[Jafo232]

Well, I plant marigolds around the garden and I make sure to walk around it a few times a day. My garden is rather secluded, so sometimes late at night, I umm, well, umm, basically mark the territory around the garden (not inside), and believe it or not, this has worked for me for years.

[oldbay]

What a creative idea.

[KYHeirloomer]

Something I like, especially with larger tomatoes:

Cut tomatoes into slices about a half-inch thick. Brush with Worchestershire and a drop or six of hot sauce. Top with freshly ground parmasen. Pop in the broiler, two or three minutes, until the cheese is bubbly.