Apparently, after having a potager for the last 15 years here in France, and harvesting many kilos of tomatoes every year, I still don’t know how to properly support a tomato plant.
I could just buy varieties that produce smaller tomatoes but I like big ones!
My personal opinion is that cherry tomatoes are a poor substitute that I grow and eat while waiting for the big ones.
But why haven’t the knowledgeable folks that develop these lovely big tomatoes also given them stems that will support themselves.
A close look at my tomatoes in any given year will see broken or breaking stems being supported by bricks or logs or rocks or whatever I can find in the barn that’s the right height to prop them up.
Yes, I faithfully tie the stems as they grow. I’ll have to tie them tighter – but won’t that create a different problem as they get bigger?
I’ll just keep on keeping on….
Click here to Pin Pesto-Parmesan Tomatoes
PrintPesto-Parmesan Tomatoes
Easy to make great for a first course or side dish. I had a very large, beefsteak tomato, which I halved, then scooped out the halves.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: First Courses
Ingredients
- 2 medium garden ripened tomatoes, cored and sufficently hollowed (notes)
- 3 tbs pesto
- 3 tbs freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Divide the pesto and put into each of the tomatoes.
- Divide the Parmesan and sprinkle over the top.
- Put into a small baking dish and bake at 375F (185C) for 10 – 15 minutes.
- The tomatoes should be cooked through but still hold their shape and the cheese should be starting to brown.
- Remove, cut in half, and serve.
Notes
Cut into the stem end at an angle to take out the stem and center of the tomatoes. Hollow out sufficiently to hold half of the pesto and cheese.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 recipe
- Calories: 161
- Sugar: 5.3 g
- Sodium: 364 mg
- Fat: 12.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8.7 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 5.6 g
- Cholesterol: 5.4 mg
Keywords: tomatoes, stuffed tomatoes, pesto
Rather have Bacon than Pesto? Tomatoes Stuffed with Bacon & Onion
That should just about finish the summer pantry items.
There are still a few stragglers in the potager. It’s amazing how bent and broken tomato plants just keep on producing.
All of my pathetic, brown, dying winter squash plants are coming back to life. I’m not seeing flowers and it’s the middle of Sept. I don’t think there will be a chance for anything to ripen, even if they get started.
I’ll water the lot one more time and then inspect…
We never know what the day will bring.
Oh yes picking those Tom Thumb mini tomatoes used to drive me mad ! Give one one big juicy whopper any day !
Well, we’re back from vacation so I’m not going to catch up on the posts from this past week, but I did read them 🙂
When you plant your tomatoes, do you plant them two inches deeper than they were in the pot? That makes for a thicker stem. Also, when I plant mine now, I used to use cages but now, I use a wood frame and work them through that, a little like a split rail fence. Works much better and it’s a lot easier.
We went to Port Austin at the tip of the thumb. The weather was really chilly, but we stayed in the Wallace Gristmill which was built in the 1840’s. The owners have done a remarkable job of restoring the building and turning it into a living space. And the view from the second floor balcony was spectacular! I sat on that balcony with a glass of wine and just recharged. It was wonderful. They sell sweatshirts up there and on the front, they say “Unsalted.” I’ll take Lake Huron, or any of the Great Lakes, over the ocean any day.