Michigan Tomatoes
By Carolyn Kelly
heirloom tomatoes by celticjig1
My grandmother, Betsy, a life-long resident of North Carolina, insists that anyone who doesn't like tomatoes just hasn't had a North Carolina tomato. An avid gardener, she knows the value of homegrown, locally produced food.
Fortunately, tomatoes are ripening right here, right now, in Michigan. The farmers market is a treasure trove of golden, orange and red heirloom tomatoes, and farmers and gardeners are racing to harvest this year's bumper crop.
Did you know?- Betsy is horrified when she finds a tomato in the fridge ñ the cold keeps it from ripening, and converts its sugars to starch. Tomatoes belong on the windowsill!
- Tomatoes are related to peppers, eggplants and potatoes.
- Seed-filled tomatoes are fruits, not vegetables.
Find it!
Try it!
- Combination of red, orange and/or yellow tomatoes of any size, enough for two cups of chopped tomatoes.
- 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 2 serrano or jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- juice of 1 lime or a splash of red wine vinegar
- olive oil
- Chop large tomatoes and cut cherry tomatoes in half. Combine tomatoes with onions, garlic, peppers and cilantro, pour lime juice or vinegar over the top, drizzle with a little olive oil, give it a good stir, then refrigerate or serve at room temperature.
- Look for yellow and orange heirloom varieties at the farmers marketóthey taste great and look very handsome next to their red cousins. I like to use a big red tomato and 7-8 orange cherry tomatoes for this recipe. You can also add half a green bell pepper, finely chopped, to the mix.
- 1 cup cooked lentils, any color
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 large cucumber, or 1 small cucumber, chopped
- A handful of yellow or green beans, or snap peas, if you have them, chopped
- 8-10 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half.
- Combine the veggies and lentils and pour on a generous splash of rice vinegar, then let it sit in the fridge - it tastes better if you make it in advance.
- Got dozens of big tomatoes ripening in your garden? Cut the tops out of the tomatoes, scoop out a few seeds (you should have a cone shaped hole), set out a variety of fillings (suggestions below), and invite the neighbors over for stuffed tomatoes. This is also a great way to use up leftover dips and salads.
- Filling suggestions:
- Pesto
- Hummus
- Egg salad
- Tuna fish salad
- Ranch dressing
- Spanish rice
- Equal amounts of crumbled blue cheese and chopped walnuts, with a dash of black pepper
- Tabbouleh (buy some in the deli section of the grocery store, or refer to the bulgur-stuffed tomato recipe in ìMichigan Garlic and Herbs.")
- Bean Salad (mix equal amounts black beans and corn, a chopped green pepper, a little onion, and a squeeze of lime)
Here's another great recipe for a summer soiree: Tomato-Goat Cheese Bruschetta - 1 loaf French bread, cut into 1/2 inch slicesbutter
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 cup soft goat cheese
- Marinated tomatoes:
- 3-4 plum tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 1/8 tsp salt
- Combine all ingredients, refrigerate and marinate for an hour or more.
- Slice French bread, toast with butter and chopped up garlic, and cool. This step can be done in advance.
- Smear each circle with goat cheese.
- Drain tomatoes, reserving the juices for salad dressing or marinades (just add olive oil).
- Top with each slice with a spoonful of tomatoes immediately before serving.
Roasting and freezing tomatoes is a great way to capture a bit of summer, and they make great additions to sauces. Cut plum tomatoes in half and put them on two oiled cookie sheets, face up. Drizzle oil over them and roast them slowly in a 250 degree oven, stirring occasionally and rotating the cookie sheets every twenty minutes, until dehydrated. Let cool and then put into sandwich size freezer bags with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to use as needed. The flavor is very intense - a little bit goes a long way!
Michigan.org offers a delicious Heirloom Tomato Basil Sauce recipe on their Department of Agriculture website.
Tomatoes by Ben McLeod
Taste the Local Difference is part of the Michigan Land Use Institute's Entrepreneurial Agriculture Project, which aims to grow jobs, save farmland, and build healthier communities with food that's thousands of miles fresher. Find more than 160 farms and fishers who sell fresh foods on their farms, in farmers markets, and to restaurants and stores at www.LocalDifference.org . TLD lead sponsors are Traverse City State Bank and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
Posted/updated Jun 27, 2006
by Cody Sprattmoran
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