Tomatoes - OK I can't stop myself. I ask the world for abundance and it often delivers in tomatoes. I am grateful

 

one day's harvest in the kitchen sink

Here is a good sampling of my tomato garden this year.  I'm trying to think which is my favorite but it's impossible to choose.  I love Cherokee purple for a traditional beefsteak tomato.  I also love love Chocolate stripy which is a pear shaped with tons of flavor and always is firm.  Last year I tried Lava Flow which is yellow orange medium size with rich non acid flavor.  Then there are chocolate cherry and Shadow boxing.  This year I tried black strawberry which is a gorgeous jeweled color cherry but was a little disappointed in the flavor but is so pretty plated.  I couldn't ignore my new one this year: Brad's atomic grape:

Yes  These are ripe...a small sauce tomato- delicious in a salad sliced or as you must do with a sauce tomato I made Marinara:

Brad's atomic grape marinara

Yes  I sent some to my son, Brad, for his birthday!

But I kept some myself to sauce up my eggplant Parmesan or simply use as a dip for the quite decadent Fried eggplant.

My first tomato was enjoyed in early June and I will today (September 9) sit down today and enjoy the end  of my crop.  I did plant a winter variety called Glacier.  Fingers crossed I'll have fresh tomatoes for Thanksgiving salad.

The entire month of July I had my dehydrator working 24 hours each day.  As posted about an hour ago in my stone fruit post I dried the plums and peaches during the day and at 9pm would place sliced tomatoes to loose their water by morning when it was time to place the plums again.  Here are Lava Flow tomatoes on their way to dry:

Lava Flow

Chocolate Stripy

OK  Now I have 100 pounds or so of dried tomatoes securely locked in vacuum bags and losing most of their weight. In cooler weather I'll grab a bag of these beauties and add them to a soup.

Rogers Gardens in Newport Beach presents "Tomato Mania" the last weekend in February and offers over 250 tomato varieties.  I think I show extreme self control to only take home 8 ( or was it 9?)

Dehydrating tomatoes

Oh I am blessed with a bounty of tomatoes.  I planted them early BECAUSE I COULD ( in California) and I am now in the middle of my harvest!!! I have shared them with friends, family and neighbors.  I have canned them diced in Marinara sauce and in salsa and honestly I'm out of jars and have a dehydrator so that's what I'm doing now.  Two years ago I did the same and then vacuum sealed the dried tomatoes in batches.  They are easy to store and are very light weight.  Then in winter they are on the shelf ready to throw into a soup or slow cooked meal.  Here's the journey:

the morning harvest

Start with great tomatoes 

dehydrator

I use an electrical one

sliced tomatoes

slice 3/8 inch thick

half dried

After about 6 hours ( above)

completely dried

ready to be sealed

Aren't they gorgeous!!!