31 Delicious Summer Tomato Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why do you soak tomatoes in salt water? ›

More simply put, in just a matter of minutes, salt will cause tomatoes to release their juices, resulting in fruit that's less watery and more intensely flavored. And that's not all! Salt stimulates your salivary glands, causing them to produce the saliva that distributes flavor to your taste buds.

Yes, there are other ways to make your tomatoes taste even better and increase the acidity. There is lemon, vinegar, or my personal favorite, balsamic. Just imagine a tomato bruschetta with a balsamic vinaigrette drizzled on top.

The best methods for the long-term storage of tomatoes are canning, drying, or making canned preserves like salsa, pasta sauce, relish, or ketchup. Once the tomatoes are sealed in an airtight jar, they'll last you all winter and beyond.

Tomatoes may be frozen raw or cooked, whole, sliced, chopped, or puréed. Tomatoes do not need to be blanched before freezing. Frozen tomatoes are best used in cooked foods such as soups, sauces and stews as they become mushy when they're thawed.

Tomatoes are prone to magnesium deficiency later in the growing season, which can show with yellowing leaves and diminished production. Ultra Epsom Salt treatments at the beginning of their planting and throughout their seasonal life can help to prevent and remedy magnesium deficiency in your tomato plants.

And salting them first seem to make them a bit less absorbent. I leave them for about 20 minutes, then rinse them off and pat them dry, and bake them, before adding to a recipe.

Adding Epsom salts to your plant either through foliar spray or direct watering is a great way of boosting micronutrient absorption. This helps your tomato plant produce large, juicy, and very sweet fruits. Remember that a little bit goes a long way and too much can cause more problem than it fixes.

You can freeze tomatoes whole, but cutting them will help them take up less room in the freezer. Plastic freezer bags work great for freezing fruits and vegetables. Make sure you push all of the air out before sealing to help them stay fresh. Don't purchase storage bags, they may not protect your food.

The fridge is your friend, not your foe in this scenario. Supermarket tomatoes have already been refrigerated in their journey to you, so a little more chill-out time won't hurt them. And unless you're eating them immediately, ripe, locally grown tomatoes will also last longer in the fridge; eat within a few days.

Tomatoes will last in the freezer for about six months. After that, they start to lose their flavor and might become freezer burnt. When you're ready to use your frozen tomatoes, just let them thaw at room temperature. Once they've defrosted, the skins peel right off!

What seasonings taste good on tomatoes? ›

Basil is the number one herb for tomatoes, but other herbs compliment tomatoes as well: bay, chives, dill, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary, savory, tarragon and thyme. Use them by themselves or in combination with tomatoes. Planting basil next to you tomatoes helps both grow better.

You could add mushrooms, or some other vegetable like broccoli, asparagus or swiss chard, or swap out the garlic for onions or leeks. Whatever you choose, trust me, any store-bought tomatoes can be made better with sweet carrots.

When a plant starts fruiting, it starts looking yellow and tired. That's when we often rush out and water the plant to help perk it up. This is the wrong thing to do. In the simplest terms, all of that water ends up in your fruit, compromising its flavor and texture.

Lucia's Sugar Beach, a Viceroy resort, told People that it just takes a little sugar and vinegar. "If you're making a tomato sauce or soup and the tomatoes aren't ripe enough, add a pinch of sugar and a splash of red-wine vinegar," Jones says. "They will help to bring out the natural flavor."

Store green tomatoes at room temperature in a cellar to have fresh tomatoes later. If you're going to use your tomatoes in cooking, you can dry them, freeze them, or pressure can them to store them for even longer.