With a counter full of tomatoes and a freezer packed full of everything from last summer I had a problem.
We were eating them as fast as we could but couldn’t begin to keep up.
We’ve also been having unseasonably warm weather.
I wasn’t in the mood but my conservative self refused to toss them in the compost.
I made soup.
My tomatoes were every color but regular red: yellow, orange, pink, purple.
As for the soup….. Other than peeling the tomatoes, this almost made itself.
Garden Tomato Soup
Total time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
- 6 lbs (2800gr) peeled, chopped tomatoes
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbs fresh oregano, or 1 tsp dried
- 1 tbs fresh basil, or 1 tsp dried
- 1 3/4 cups (15oz, 450gr) white beans
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1/3 cup bulgur
- 1 tbs olive oil
Instructions:
- Heat oil in medium pot or Dutch oven.
- Add onion, pepper, carrot and garlic, sauté until tender.
- Add all remaining ingredients, except bulgur and beans, cover and simmer 30 minutes.
- Add beans, bulgur and simmer 15 minutes longer.
- Remove bay leaves and serve.
A garden is a constant source of new information.
Even though the weather has been sunny and warm, like it is in August, the tomatoes ripen differently this time of year.
I assume it’s because of the decreased sunlight. Our days are about 5 hours shorter this time of year, plus the sun is much lower in the sky.
The tomatoes will be very ripe on one side and completely green on the other. Most of them have serious cracks on on the top and a lot will have split skin by the time I pick them, even though I’ve been picking them early.
And the strangest thing…. If I let them sit on the counter they get moldy, even after a day or two. In the summer they often sit for 3 or 4 days before I eat them.
However, the taste is still fantastic and this soup was wonderful
The damage to the skin is the culprit. It allows oxygen for the mold to grow in the meat of the tomato. With an intact skin it’s not so easy for the mold to reach the meat and the skin is not a good growth medium for the mold.
That looks like my perfect meal in that bowl !!
Beautiful soup!
Karen, Ah, that explains it… Eat the broken-skinned tomatoes first. Thanks.
Kate, it has been my lunch all week 😉
Thanks, Zoomie
I would have used them for soup too. Nothing better than garden tomatoes anyway. You can’t let that go to waste
Trish, I liked it so well I made another big batch LOL… no waste