Tomato takeover: Turning your garden bounty into gourmet delights

Few treats are sweeter than a perfectly ripe tomato. Depending on where you live, it’s approaching that time of year every gardener loves. It’s time for the tomatoes to explode into abundance.

When temperatures are over 85 degrees, the ripening process slows because lycopene and carotene, the pigments responsible for giving the fruit their orangey red appearance, can’t be produced.

That’s why they ripen later in warmer climates. If this is your case, hold on to these recipes, because you won’t want to miss this.

When we go from famine to feast, what do we do with all these tomatoes?

Tomato Sandwiches: When you have tomatoes ready to star in the show, splurge on some really good bread and slather it with fresh herbed mayo. Basil is especially good here. Add some thinly sliced cucumber and avocado. This is summer in a sandwich. Add crisp bacon for the ultimate BLT.

Pico de Gallo: There’s no cooking, and no recipe needed for this fresh salsa, just measure with your heart. Chop up some ripe tomatoes and add minced onions, jalapeno, garlic and cilantro. Toss this with lime juice and salt, add a pile of tortilla chips and dig in.

If you still have a plethora of tomatoes after this, here’s what you do: Freeze ‘em, can ‘em, barter ‘em, sell ‘em or give ‘em away!

Roast Tomato Gazpacho

Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds (about 10 medium) tomatoes, cut in quarters

1 large, sweet onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

4 cloves garlic, smashed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cucumber, seeds removed, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a sheet pan, place tomatoes, onion, red pepper and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and roast until nicely browned but not burned, about 30 minutes.

Let cool, then place all roast ingredients and juices and the cucumber in a blender and process to a soup-like texture. Strain through a fine mesh sieve if desired. Season and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve cold.

Diva’s Tomato Jam

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sweet onion, minced

1/2 cup white sugar, divided

2 pounds good ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon crystallized ginger, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Procedure

In a heavy bottom skillet on medium-high, melt butter, add onion and 1 teaspoon sugar. Cook until translucent. Add tomatoes and crank the heat to high for five minutes. This lets the tomatoes release a bunch of moisture. Stir constantly to avoid scorching.

Add the remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to incorporate. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until the mixture has thickened to jam-like consistency.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. It won’t last that long. And it makes a great gift.

This stuff is ridiculously delicious. Seriously. It will make you popular. So, double this if you want to be really popular.

Serve this on anything your heart desires. It’s great on crackers with cream cheese or goat cheese. Or, you can serve it with chicken, pork, salmon, scallops or roasted cauliflower. Or, eat it right out of the jar when no one is looking. Delish!