To me summer is a clock ticking. There’s limited time to make the juiciest, sweetest, sunniest tomato recipes in every shape, size and color! That often means bringing home as many tomatoes as I can carry from my local farmers’ market. I slice them for Cucumber Tomato Salad at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I freeze batches of Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce for the dark days of winter. On the days when it’s too hot to cook, I grate them for Pan con Tomate or No-Cook Tomato Sauce (Sugo Di Pomodoro Crudo). The true magic of a fresh summer tomato is you don’t need a recipe to make something delicious. Just a drizzle of olive oil, and a dash of flaky salt, maybe a grind of pepper if you’re feeling fancy. This collection of 52 fresh tomato recipes keeps that effortless summer spirit. They’re easy and flavorful without the fuss, made to embrace the summer tomato’s natural perfection. Make them to celebrate this beautiful summer fruit in all its glory, and bank the memories for colder days ahead.
Color: Look for vibrant, deep colors. Ripe tomatoes are typically a rich red, but heirloom varieties can be yellow, orange, green, or purple. Texture: Heirlooms and on-the-vine tomatoes should feel firm but yield slightly to pressure, indicating ripeness (some varieties like Roma stay rather firm even when they’re ripe). Avoid tomatoes that are too soft or have wrinkles as these are signs of over-ripeness. Smell: Fresh tomatoes should have a sweet, earthy aroma, especially near the stem. If a tomato has no smell, it might not be fully ripe. Skin: Check for smooth, blemish-free skin. Cracks, blemishes, or soft spots can indicate that the tomato is overripe. Weight: A fresh tomato should feel heavy for its size, indicating juiciness.
How to Store Fresh Tomatoes
Properly storing fresh tomatoes ensures they stay flavorful and last longer. Here’s how to keep your tomatoes at their best:
For ripe tomatoes: Store at room temperature away from direct sunlight. Place stem side down in a single layer. Avoid stacking them to minimize the risk of damage. For very ripe tomatoes: It’s best to just use them. One of my go-tos if I want something easy but don’t want to eat them right away is to quick-roast them, but I have about 44 more ideas for you below. Unripe tomatoes: Store at room temperature until they ripen. To speed up the process, place them in a paper bag or a box. If you have one handy, add an apple or banana, too. The fruits emit ethylene gas, which helps promote ripening of the tomatoes. Cut tomatoes: Again, using them is best. But you can cover and refrigerate them for a couple of days, they will just lose that fresh, juicy-yet-firm quality, and might be a little mealy. Forget the fridge: I know I just said if you have some leftover tomatoes in a salad it’s OK to refrigerate them, but they lose a lot of what makes them wonderful. However, they won’t be inedible and it’s better than throwing them out. As a general rule, however, you don’t want to store tomatoes in the fridge.
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