Yesterday when I started planting all of the veggies my husband had acquired over the past few months, I was absolutely speechless when I counted how many tomato plants we have. I'm not exaggerating when I say I counted twenty two tomato plants. We started out with four plants from Costco about a month ago, then IFA was giving out one free plant to everyone that came in - so we took all of the kids and employees to get a few more. Then there are a few new varieties that we had to try. One plant probably would have been ample because he is the only one who really eats tomatoes in our family. I only like them if they are fresh on a pizza, made into soup or maybe in salsa, but that is it. So the average tomato plant produces about 80 tomatoes during a season if they are cared for properly. That means we are going to have over 1700 tomatoes this summer. What am I going to do with that many tomatoes?!!! I ended up calling one of my friends and begging to please take some of the plants because I didn't have room for them in my garden.
In a few months I will be frantically searching for recipes to use up all of these little vegetables - so if you have any great ones, send them my way!
I got this recipe for Fire Roasted Tomato Soup from my cute friend Sissy Hooper when I lived in Salt Lake. Sis is an amazing cook and the best thing she taught me is that, "It's all about the bows!" Everything she does is always wrapped beautifully in the prettiest bows.
Today it is freezing cold outside. It seriously feels like winter in May! So a big bowl of this warm soup sounds so good right now!
Sissy's Fire Roasted Tomato Soup
In a 3 quart sauce pan, melt 1T. butter over medium heat. Cook one large chopped onion and two cloves of finely chopped garlic in 1T. oil for about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until the onion is crisp-tender. Stir in two -14.5 ounce cans of diced fire roasted tomatoes (undrained) or six fresh tomatoes chopped, one - 14 ounce can of chicken broth, 1T. chopped basil, 1t. sugar and 1/4t. crushed red pepper flakes. Heat to boiling then reduce heat and cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, uncover and cool slightly about 5 minutes.
In a blender, place half of the mixture and blend until pureed. Add remaining mixture and blend until pureed. Return to a sauce pan and heat over medium heat until hot. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2C. whipping cream and 1T. basil.
I like to eat this soup sprinkled with cheese.
I don't really like to eat tomatoes either, but my kids do. I make them eat all the veggies I've never liked. I am planting some to bottle my own stewed tomatoes. Might as well make my own as keep buying them. You are so ambitious with your garden. I keep putting it off until Clay can do it with me.
ReplyDeleteHoly smokes that sure is a lot of tomatoes. I think I planted 12 plants last year, and bottled about 75 quarts of tomatoes, frozen chili sauce, and probably 30 pints of salsa. Since we're stocked up pretty well still--I'm only planting 5. I'm glad your perennials are perking up. A few of my pumpkin plants lost a leaf or 2 to the cold a couple of nights ago. Last night night I covered them with odds and ends. They seem to be even more sensitive than tomatoes to cold. I guess we'll see if my tomatoes made it through the night. If they didn't, we'll replant..... Hey--I got a tip from the best potato grower in the west--Dusty McCormick. Actually Raelynn told me---she said after you plant the potatoes--don't water them until the leaves start coming up out of the ground. He says the potatoes have enough moisture in them to sprout, and if you water them too much they will just rot....Which is probably what will happen to mine--since I've been watering mine thoroughly every day. I got the tip too late. I'm going to incorporate this next year though!!! I'll have to hook a shut off valve to my potatoes drip system. But if you have a way to not water them--you ought to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip Carrie! I have only watered them twice since I planted them and I don't have the drip system hooked up to their little cozy spot yet so I will wait. Don't plant anymore tomato plants if yours don't make it - just come raid mine!
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