It’s juicy tomato season in Chicago. Maybe you’ve noticed the slices on your hot dogs are less wimpy than usual. Maybe you’ve seen your retiree aunt’s backyard bounty on Facebook.
Maybe you’re lucky and a neighbor gifted you a basket or you’ve got your own haul — either way, here’s how to make the most of it.
Easy Tomato Recipes
I am no cook, but even I chef it up thanks to picks from my dad’s 117-square-foot tomato plot. By cheffing, I mostly mean making Caprese. These are some similarly easy ideas:
- Diana Kennedy’s ranchera sauce is pretty simple. Great over eggs.
- Pico de Gallo. Don’t forget to strain those tomatoes.
- Bruschetta. Last year, I hosted a girls’ bruschetta night!
- BLTs. I've been using breakfast sausage instead of bacon 😮
- Sliced with celery salt. A Chicago-style snack.
- Caprese every which way: on French bread from Jewel, over arugula salad, drizzled with balsamic, or arranged in a pretty circle. Basil plants are easy to maintain, too!
Colorful Caprese. (Emmi Mack / Hey Chicago)
Canning Tomatoes
“Canning takes education,” garden expert Bonnie McDonald warned City Cast Chicago this past spring. “You can get botulism."
But, if you’re prepared to do it right, water bath canners work to preserve acidic produce like tomatoes. McDonald recommends Ball’s book on canning to learn more, as well tips from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Home-canned tomatoes last up to two years.
Broiling tomatoes for Salsa De Jitomate Del Norte. (Courtesy of Steve Mack)
Why Do Store-Bought Tomatoes Suck?
Grocery store tomatoes could spend a month off the vine before you buy them, Bob Zeni aka The Tomato Man once told Hey Chicago. During that time, the sugars degrade.
“Once someone tastes a real tomato, an heirloom tomato, fresh off the vine, it's a transformative experience,” Zeni espoused.
If you want to hop on the tomato trend next year, he suggests starting with a tabletop plant, keeping the soil moist like a sponge, and fertilizing the plants every two weeks.
🍅 Got your own tomato bounty to show off? We wanna see! Send pics to chicago@citycast.fm.
