By: Kathryn McLean
As we approach the last stages of summer and early fall, we get to enjoy the delicious harvests that are in season: peaches, nectarines, peppers, eggplant, beans, squash, corn, apples and tomatoes, to name a few!
If you grow tomato plants in your garden, you know that both August and September mean lots of tomatoes. For those who don’t have a garden, many varieties of local tomatoes are available in grocery stores and farmers’ markets.
Here are a few suggestions for eating local, seasonal, delicious tomatoes while they last:
- The good old-fashioned tomato sandwich: toasted bread and thick slices of tomato with salt and black pepper. Delight your taste buds by adding cheese, lettuce and/or bacon.
- Make a tomato salad. Consider adding onion, cucumber, peach and corn.
- How about a quick salsa to enjoy with tortilla chips, quesadilla or tacos? Simply chop tomatoes, add diced onion and fresh cilantro, salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. Liven it up by adding corn, jalapeño or bell peppers, and peaches.
- Tomato bruschetta is always a hit! Just chop some tomatoes, add crushed garlic and olive oil along with salt and pepper. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes so the flavours develop. When you’re ready to serve the bruschetta, toast some crusty bread. Spoon the mixture over a slice at a time, only topping the slices you’re ready to eat. Top more toast slices as needed, that way the toast will stay crunchy.
Tomato is the base for many curries. Try making one instead of buying a bottled sauce. Here is a simple version with just a few ingredients that’s great for starting out. This rough guide will make enough sauce for about two servings.
- Cook a diced onion over low heat using a little oil in a pan; then add 2 chopped tomatoes (medium-sized). Continue cooking until the tomatoes are broken down into a thick sauce.
- Add a teaspoon of garam masala, ¼ teaspoon of turmeric, and a couple tablespoons of cream (or yogurt). Add a few spoons of warm water or milk if you need to thin it out a bit for a saucier consistency.
- You can use additional spices if you like, then add chickpeas, diced paneer or cooked chicken and heat through.
That’s it, an easy tomato curry-style sauce.
Yes, summer is winding down, and so is our growing season. But local tomatoes are not finished growing yet, so go ahead and enjoy the best of them while you can!