Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Sliced Tomaydas

When we were kids there was a plate of sliced tomatoes on our dinner table almost every night in summer. Some we grew in our garden and others came from the tomato man who lived down the street. He had a card table set up in his front yard and when we were out and about on summer afternoons my mom would often make a stop there and choose a few tomatoes for dinner, and it was vine to plate before the sun set.

I remembered how shocked I was the first time I met someone who didn't like tomatoes; such a thing had literally been inconceivable to me until that day. Over the years I've met several non-tomato eating folks, and I've found that there is consistency to their objections. For example, they are usually a bit defensive when questioned about the fact that they like pizza, spaghetti, and/or lasagna-- evidently cooked, pureed tomatoes are not the problem. Neither is ketchup, although in my opinion, the only thing ketchup and tomatoes have in common is the color red. For those who can not stand fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes, it has something to do with texture, mouth feel, and a certain "watery" flavor(!). I'm afraid I can't explain any more specifically than that, because those people happen to abhor one of my favorite foods on the planet.

This summer, we have a ton of tomatoes from our garden. It's not a problem at all though, because for us, there really is no such thing as too many tomatoes. We have already canned 25 quarts (Heidi's goal is 104-- 2 per week until tomatoes come in next season), and of course we have a plate of sliced tomatoes every night at dinner. All is as it should be.

5 comments:

  1. Yum! Can't beat em! I wonder if some people don't like tomatoes because they've never tasted from the vine, as you wrote. Great tribute to the love apples. I love the sauce, stewed, etc., but fresh is still best.

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  2. I am so jealous. My grandmother always had fresh tomatoes and corn with dinner during the summer....sometimes that was the meal. Like you, I love the taste of tomatoes straight from the vine. Nothing beats fresh tomatoes in the summer....solo, between bread, or warmed up in a sauce. Enjoy!

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  3. BLTs can only be made with tomatoes from the vine. I am shocked when someone says they don't like tomatoes too. My two plants have not been as prolific this summer, so sad for me.

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  4. I too am a victim of tomato love! I miss my dad's tomatoes so much. :)

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