17 Garden-Fresh Tomato Recipes That Showcase This Garden Staple (2024)

FAQs

What can I make with all my garden tomatoes? ›

Storing and Handling Guidelines

Tomatoes stored at refrigeration temperatures below 41 °F will have approximate shelf life of 5 days. Tomatoes stored at temperatures under 75 °F will have approximate shelf life of 1 to 2 days. Storing tomatoes above 75° F is not recommended.

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.

It is a perennial but is usually grown outdoors in temperate climates as an annual. Tomatoes are the most common and beloved vegetable crop for home gardeners. They require relatively little space and can yield 10 to 15 pounds or more of fruit per plant.

The Benefits of Using 5-Gallon Buckets

The standard size of these buckets allows for at least two tomato plants per bucket. This makes them an efficient use of space in small gardens or balcony spaces.

Crush the tomatoes by hand or in a food processor or blender, depending on the consistency you're going for. Add the crushed tomatoes to an airtight, freezer-safe container, and transfer it to the freezer.

You just showed that tomatoes rot faster at room temperature than in the refrigerator. Big whoop... But that's exactly the point: If you're buying your tomatoes ripe (which we should all be doing!) and need to store them for an extra day or two, you're often better off storing them in the fridge than on the countertop.

"You're essentially zapping flavor and texture from a tomato when you refrigerate it," says Gregory Lofts, the former deputy food editor at Martha Stewart Living. Lofts also points out that tomatoes very quickly take on odors from other foods in the refrigerator, which can further degrade their quality and taste.

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.

Why put cans around tomato plants? ›

Garden tip: Put old coffee cans around plants to keep out slugs, keep warmth in and help direct water to the roots.

Hot weather is the enemy of tomatoes. The layer of straw keeps your soil around your plant cooler. Mulching brings that temperature of the soil back down at or lower than the outside air temperature.

We do this to help the tomato plant focus on growing the main stem and tomatoes, instead of producing lots of little suckers.

Most tomatoes are self pollinating so you get the same tomato year after year. You can, but it's not a good idea. Many fungus disease ( early and late blights among others) overwinter in the soil when the spores drop with infected leaves.

Use a good-quality compost, such as John Innes No. 2, that won't shrink or clump and will allow water to easily reach the plants' roots.