[HBHW News] The Tomato Edition

Published: Sat, 07/03/21

Hello ,

Happy Independence Day weekend to those of you in the US. And happy summer Saturday to everyone else. With the first hurricane of the season on it's way, it feels like Summer really has arrived.

That and ripe garden tomatoes. Is there anything better than a freshly sliced tomato, still warm from the sun?

Since this is the height of tomato season here where I'm at (and it will come shortly if you live a bit further north), I thought I'd share a few of my favorite tomato based recipes with you this week.

Let's start with this delicious tomato and chickpea salad. It's so simple, but satisfying and with the chickpeas quite filling. I make it regularly throughout the summer and whenever we're invited to a cookout, the host requests I bring a large batch.

Tomato chickpea salad with strips of fresh basil on a white plate.

Tomato and Chickpea Salad

1 15 1/2 oz can chick peas
4 large tomatoes
1/2 onion
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 to 5 basil leaves

Drain your chick peas. If you want to cut down on the sodium, give them a quick rinse with water. Put them in a large bowl.

Core and chop 4 large tomatoes. If they are very ripe, you may also want to scoop or squeeze out some of the seeds. Add them to the bowl.

Dice your onion and add it as well.

Mix the lemon juice and olive oil together and season with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients.

Cut the basil into thin strips and scatter over the salad.

There are so many great reasons to grow garden tomatoes. The flavor is the main one for me. Sure, you can buy tomatoes for less at the grocery store, especially canned ones or those grown in a hot house. To me it's worth the extra time it takes and the cost of buying tomato plants and supplies. You can mitigate them by growing your own from seed and amending any soil you have with homemade compost.

Once you have your first tomato harvest (or a great deal from the Farmer's Market or a gift from a kind neighbor), it's time to use them all up. Here are my best tips for using fresh garden tomatoes.

Here are a few more tomato recipes for you to peruse and try:

Cold Tomato and Basil Soup

Tomato Pie Recipe

Roasted Tomato Scrambled Eggs

Tomato Dumpling Stew

Ready for even more tried and true tomato recipes? Check out my Tomato Cookbook available on Amazon Kindle.

The Tomato Cookbook - Tomato Recipes from Soup To Grilled by The Hillbilly Housewife

I hope you enjoy exploring and trying a few of these recipes throughout the summer.

Sincerely,

Susanne - The Hillbilly Housewife

www.HillbillyHousewife.com

susanne@hillbillyhousewife.com

P.S.: We're heading back to our old house close to the beach next week. We have a few tomato plants in the garden there and they were starting to grow fruit when we left. I hope they got enough rain to have a few ready to eat when we get there. But I'm not holding my breath. Thankfully, we have an amazing Farmer's Market here and a kind neighbor who's shared some of her bounty. There's just nothing like home-grown tomatoes.

Susanne's Cookbooks:

The Frugal Potluck Cookbook (available in print)

If You Give A Housewife A Sweet Potato

Old-Fashioned Cooking

The Frugal Instant Pot

Homemade Mixes

Make and Take Meals

Cookies Cakes & Pies Collection

Weekday Cookie Recipes