For salsa we cut tomatoes in half, onions into rings and peppers (whatever you want or have in your garden) in half. Sometimes we'll put in a couple garlic cloves if we have them but not always. Get out as many seeds as you can. Put on a cookie sheet lined with foil cut side up. Put in your broiler on the top shelf set at 500 degrees. We just cook them until all the edges are black, dump into a food processor and pulse until chopped but not smooth. We then add salt, pepper, lime juice and cilantro. If we want it hotter we add hot sauce, dd loves fire roasted salsa so we don't use jalapenos. This is always a huge hit, the burned edges seem to add a huge amount of flavor, who knew!

I've made all fresh ingredient salsa, there are tons or recipies...but I have to say that the Tastefully simple "salsa salsa" make a pretty darn good quick salsa...you just add it to chopped or canned chopped tomatoes.

What about a fried tomatoe? I had fried red tomatoes and they were pretty good. Not sure if you could freeze them and then reheat. Does anyone else know?

I have never made fried tomatoes but it sounds good! Does anyone have a recipe?

I have so many tomatoes this year its unreal not to mention all the new little ones and more blooms coming every day!!! Im getting ready to can some tommorow and make some salsa tommorow as well. I love having canned tomatoes to make my own spaghetti sauce. YUM!!!

I know I saw one recipe where they used cornmeal to fry it. I would check the Food Network someone on there must have a recipe or check AOL Food.

I made salsa last night with my tomatoes and jalapeno's, it is ssssooo good but my hands still have the pepper oils on them! There is no remedy as far as I know, if you have one let me know! My eyes will thank you, it was a killer getting my contacts out last night.

Dont have any suggestions for getting the pepper oils off your hands but you just made me think to wear gloves when im cutting my peppers

I wear inexpensive surgical type gloves, then be sure to grab at the wrist, turn inside out to take off so you don't get the oil on you!
If you already have it on your hands use a grease cleaning soap, like all of this Dawn dishwashing liquid we have! It also works on the oils from poison ivy plants if you accidently get some one you.

And by the way guys, canning is SO easy, you don't really need any special equipment, just the jars, a LARGE pot, cake cooling rack. You don't have to have a special canning enamel pot. The instructions are in boxes of pectin for jelly, jam. Ball canning makes a great soft cover recipe book that is less than $10 that will tell you how to can ANYTHING! I am sure you can go to the website www.allrecipe.com for more recipes.

I thought I read somewhere that vinegar will get the oils off your hands? I'm not sure but vinegar seems to work for everything else so it might be worth a try!

I am STILL cutting up and freezing tomatoes, I have given tons away too! I think i have over 20 ziplock bags full of tomatoes that are frozen and I will probably have 20 more after I'm done cutting tonight. Not complaining though, I will use these in chili, tacos, and other recipes throughout the winter when i am craving the flavor of a real homegrown tomato!

My mom used to make fried green tomatoes when we were kids. Just slice them, dip them in flour, and fry them in oil, they will turn a nice pretty brown and green. Old German thing. DH's dad just loves them, but MIL never makes them.

i am still chopping and freezing tomatoes, i think i have over 50 1 cup bags of chopped tomatoes and probably 20 bags of just straight tomato juice ( i use for chili, veg soup etc..) I think I will be well stocked into the winter and not have to worry about buying any canned tomatoes for along time!

I just found this forum! We have 21 tomato plants not including the green ones we planted Down from last years 57 plants , I would defintly learn to can ,I can all our spagetti sauce , salsa , relish and pickles and jellies. No way do I have room in our freezer for all that.

Here is an article I read and they have some good ideas.


The State | 08/06/2008 | 20 things to do with all those tomatoes

Oh you are so lucky. There is nothing better in this world than leaning over the kitchen sink with a fresh garden tomato in one hand and a salt shaker in the other, yummy tomato juice running down your chin. Oh yeah!

I canned for the 1st time today with my Grandmother, it was soooooo easy, the thought was just so intimidating at first but once my grandmother and aunt showed me how i think anyone could do it, you just need a friend and alot of time to do it