10 Things to do with Tomatoes
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With tomatoes coming in more and more every day around my house, I thought I would share some ideas on what to do with them with you today.
I hope you planted tomatoes this year! I strongly encourage you to grow however much of your own food as you possibly can and in many parts of the country it is not too late to get a late summer garden in. You will be glad you did this fall when you see how high our food prices will be going (yes, in addition to the heights they have already reached).
Are Tomatoes Fruits or Vegetable?
Well it depends on who you ask. If you ask a botanist who knows the criteria regarding what makes a fruit a fruit, then tomatoes are actually fruits, not vegetables.
Bottom line (I guess) is fruits contain seeds, while vegetables typically don’t have seeds and consist mainly of roots, stems and leaves.
For me it really doesn’t matter much… I just want to enjoy these little beauties with a lovely meal. Now go get you some tomatoes and enjoy them in these 10 different ways…
Here are a few of my favorite things to do with tomatoes:
Freezing Tomatoes
Freezing tomatoes is an incredibly simple way to put them up. It’s fast, easy, and requires no special equipment. You will be rewarded with garden fresh taste when you use them in soups and stews this fall. There is nothing like it! Try my family’s chicken stew, my chili, this phenomenal goulash, or even add them to store bought spaghetti sauce to liven up the flavor!
I have been making tomato chips almost daily for several weeks now because we eat them just as fast as I can get them made! This simple method yields a deliciously crisp chip that can be eaten as a snack or tossed in soups and stews to rehydrate and serve like you would traditional stewed tomatoes.
This is a very common lunch for me during tomato season. I slice fresh tomatoes, add a few simple ingredients, and eat until I’m floundered! They are just that good!
Make Tomato Pie!
Tomato pie is a wonderful side dish that can also double as a meal in itself!
Make Tomato and Cucumber Salad!
This is one of my favorite salads to bring to family reunions, summer potlucks, or to eat pretty much year round.
It’s always best with garden fresh tomatoes though.
Make Slow Cooker Tacos
This is an easily customizable meal using whatever veggies your garden is currently giving you. Yesterday I made it and doubled the tomatoes, used fresh squash from a neighbor and paired it with the other simple ingredients and seasonings for a fresh and filling home cooked meal in one!
Corn relish is good on pretty much anything but I especially enjoy it on top of a bowl of pinto beans or served alongside fresh cornbread. This also makes a great Christmas gift to anyone who would enjoy a little taste of summer during the winter months. 
Tomatoes and Okra
This four-ingredient tomatoes and okra recipe with crispy bacon and tender onion will knock your socks off. I mean you did see bacon in the title, right?!
Fried Green tomatoes are as Southern as Sweet tea, and for good reason! If you have any unripened tomatoes or harder than usual red ones, use this recipe to make one Jim Dandy of a side dish!
Greek Chicken Tacos
Fresh chopped tomatoes are always wonderful served atop tacos. This recipe combines them with fresh herbs to make a delicious topping on Greek Chicken Tacos.
Share Them With Neighbors!
A tradition as old as gardens are, sharing bounty with neighbors fosters friendships and lends a helping hand as well. If you have a bountiful garden this year and know someone who doesn’t:
Love a BLT.
Or just a tomato sandwich. Grew up on them.
I can’t wait to try these tomato recipes. We were running out of ideas.
Happy Birthday Southern Plate!!! Don’t know what I would be doing without ya!
I love ripe garden tomatoes almost anyway. My favorite way as a kid was a big tomato & mayo sandwich salted & on white bread only. That meant summer. Those Greek tacos sound great. I was making a list of things to have for dinner while my daughter & 3 grandchildren visited from GA. Those just made the list. Thanks
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE fresh veggies!!!!! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Christy,
Here is a tip for all the people who wish they had room for a garden. Maybe some of you already do this. I went to garage sales this spring and bought huge huge empty flower pots. I already have a raised veggie bed in the back yard but wanted to plant more tomato plants. Went to Walmart and bought large bag of garden soil with Miracle Grow in it and filled up the pots that I had sat in my back yard. Went back to Walmart(forgot these the first time lol) and bought four nice sized tomato plants. Planted them in the flower pots and now I have beautiful tomatoes growing. I also
built a U shaped trellis and stapled some cheap chicken wire over the front and let my cucumbers grow up the wire – saves space in the garden and the cucumbers are off the ground and easy to pick. Sorry for rambling on but hope someone can use these tips.
Dianne, I love the trellis idea for the cucumbers! I might have to try that!
A friend of mine tried this method with her cucumbers and she loved it. So this year I’m trying it.
She said it was not only a space saver but the cucumbers didn’t lay on the ground and stayed nicer longer. Plus she had trouble getting down on her knee’s to pick cukes and this way she could just pick them off the trellis.
I plant some in RED POTS on my back deck – the red seems to speed things up. You can grow almost any veggie in containers, and they don’t require anything fancy, so recycle those drywall buckets, old pails, etc. (just be sure to clean them well and make some drainage holes in the bottoms). You could even utilize an old plastic kiddie pool (I think Christie did that once, too) – but don’t put it where you might kill the grass, because you surely will!
I don’t do a garden, but love all that garden stuff! Maybe I should try my hand at some tomatoes!
More tomatoes than we’ve ever had!