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Bliss in a bowl.

I love tomatoes. Never is there a time when I am asked what food is my favorite that I waver from the standard answer, "Tomatoes are the food of the Gods." I love them for so many reasons. The smell of them as they are growing; a cross between marigolds and citrus with a breath of Heaven thrown in. The way they look--round and red--my favorite color and shape. The flavor of a perfectly ripe tomato is bliss to me. The versatility of a tomato doesn't hurt at all, from salsa to marinara, stuffed tomatoes to simple ketchup, it's all good.

I'm not sure where this love of tomatoes came from. My family was never big on vegetables, even though mom lived in Indiana surrounded by corn fields and farms all her life. I do have veggie memories of the time I spent at grandma's house in the Summers, though. Late at night, several hours after dinner, when my four brothers and I were all still awake and hungry, grandma would put out all the fixings for sandwiches in true Indiana food style; Big. There were meats and cheeses, onions, lettuces, mayos and mustards, but the tomatoes seemed to be a food group of their own. Huge and juicy, thickly sliced, they were put on sandwiches and eaten as is, lightly salted--just the way a tomato should be eaten.

My own tomatoes this year are looking rather gloomy. I haven't had the time to prune and weed and water as they need, and the harvest is lacking for it. I did get quite a few grape tomatoes and some smaller varieties, but the big guys, Beefsteaks, are still green and most likely going nowhere. That's OK, I'll turn them into Fried Green Tomatoes soon.

I think, in honor of my 39th birthday today, I'll go and pick the green guys and get started on one of my favorite tomato dishes, Fried Green Tomatoes. For the ones left over, I'll make a green tomato salsa or green tomato jam. I'd love if they were red and ready to be eaten as is, but that's part of that versatility that I so love about tomatoes.

Green Tomato Salsa

3 large green tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced *optional (I leave them out)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 T lime juice
2 teaspoons sugar
salt to taste

Combine all and season to taste. Refrigerate for several hours until flavors are well blended.

Green  Tomato  Jelly

5 c green tomatoes, wahsed and cut up small
4 c sugar
   
Combine tomatoes and sugar in a heavy pan and bring to a boil. Stir constantly and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Put in jars and refrigerate until ready to use.

*Some people like to add a flavored gelatin to this. I prefer the straight flavor of the tomatoes and sugar.