Mr. Lake's New Orleans Forum

Here's today's bounty from my tiny 3' x 6' raised bed. My rosemary and basil is not going hog wild like I'd like, but the grape and cherry tomatoes are going crazy. I'm getting this many every day. We've been eating them on salads, but even as fresh and tasty as they are, salads get old after a while.

Do you make anything delicious using these little gems?

Eat 'em like candy.

Your bounty is jis gawjis, IM.

I do eat them "straight" for a snack in the afternoon. Again, grown with nothing but Miracle Grow for Tomatoes fertilizer and dusted lightly for bugs a couple of times with Sevin.

The smell of the basil and rosemary is so powerful. After pinching it off and washing my hands good when I come inside, I can still smell their wonderful scents. Mmmm.

If you get too many throw them in a baggie and freeze, for soup or chili or even tomato sauce.

Throw those babies in a bowl, put some olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme on them and put them on the grill. I grill grape tomatoes for the middle of my grilled veggie platter. I still don't eat them. Just something about tomatoes..........

Once at a high school reunion, we were serve stuffed cherry tomatoes that were called BLTs.

The tomato was cut in half & filled with a mixture of bacon, chopped lettuce mixed with mayo.

I can imagine they were time consuming to make, but they were really different & delightful.
If I did them I'd leave out the lettuce. Would be too cumbersome.

I like a nice tomato, cuke, onion salad with feta & herbs drizzled with good olive oil & basalmic vinegar.

A frittata with everything that's in your bowl would be good too.

Sometimes when I have too many grape tomatoes I pierce them, drizzle with olive oil & roast in the little oven til all the water is gone.
Then season it after with a splash of balsamic & sea salt & mix it up. It makes a nice relish for sandwiches.

I like those babies cut in half, mixed with chopped onion and mozarella in a sort of modified caprese salad. (Isn't that what you call it?)

Or to be cute, get those tiny mozzarella balls and make miniature stacks with the tomatoes and tiny or sliced basil leaves. TOn a round of baguette it's a pretty appeteaser

Here was lunch - tomatoes cut in half, a baby yellow crook neck squash sliced thin, one half of an avocado diced, a smidgen of sea salt from France, cracked black pepper, all tossed in a mustardy French vinaigrette I whipped up. Beautiful colors of red, yellow and green that would have made a lovely dish for a party theme of whatever country's flag has those colors. Right tasty too, especially with the piece of bagette, split, toasted and smeared with goat cheese.

Now you're pushing it. I consider myself the next Julia Childs when I cut the tomatoes, throw in the mozzarella from a bag and chop up an onion with the Vidalia Chop Wizard.