When I first moved to Montana, a neighbor mused:"Those tomato plants in your garden don't stand a chance."
I had no idea what she was talking about. I knew that a tomato needed healthy soil, lots of sunlight, water, and a pair of strong hands to yank out the weeds.
Turns out there were a few things I didn't know. I guess I didn't expect snow in June. In Bozeman, tomato plants are lucky if they make it into the ground by July first. I also didn't expect summer hail storms. Another neighbor reminded me to build a hail protector(an apparatus of plastic pipes and a tarp) over my garden which I could unfurl if and only if I happen to be at home when a hail storm strikes. If any tomatoes survive the snow and hail, there is still a chance they will be nibbled by deer who wander into everyone's yards after dark.
Given these challenges and my lack of experience as a gardener, the odds of a plentiful tomato harvest were low. Despite this, on August 31st, a single tomato in my garden ripened. When I picked it and sliced it into fourths for my family, it tasted sweet and juicy. It was as perfect as a tomato could be!
As for the rest of the green tomatoes, if they can survive the remainder of the summer, there is still time to ripen. Or else I will make fried green tomatoes.
If I had a whole bowl of tomatoes, I would cook this recipe for my family:
Baked Tomatoes, Goat cheese and Basil
4 rounds of goat cheese
1 1/2 cups of tomatoes, cut in half (any tomato will do but cherry tomatoes are best!)
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
6 leaves of fresh basil
one large clove of garlic, crushed
Four slices of French bread
Preheat the oven to 400 F
Pour olive oil into a flat ovenproof dish and add the garlic. Put the tomatoes in the oil and then add the goat cheese on top. Add a few shakes of salt and pepper.
Bake for 10 minutes. When done, add slivers of basil.
Serve with toasted French bread.
Turns out there were a few things I didn't know. I guess I didn't expect snow in June. In Bozeman, tomato plants are lucky if they make it into the ground by July first. I also didn't expect summer hail storms. Another neighbor reminded me to build a hail protector(an apparatus of plastic pipes and a tarp) over my garden which I could unfurl if and only if I happen to be at home when a hail storm strikes. If any tomatoes survive the snow and hail, there is still a chance they will be nibbled by deer who wander into everyone's yards after dark.
Given these challenges and my lack of experience as a gardener, the odds of a plentiful tomato harvest were low. Despite this, on August 31st, a single tomato in my garden ripened. When I picked it and sliced it into fourths for my family, it tasted sweet and juicy. It was as perfect as a tomato could be!
As for the rest of the green tomatoes, if they can survive the remainder of the summer, there is still time to ripen. Or else I will make fried green tomatoes.
Baked Tomatoes, Goat cheese and Basil
4 rounds of goat cheese
1 1/2 cups of tomatoes, cut in half (any tomato will do but cherry tomatoes are best!)
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
6 leaves of fresh basil
one large clove of garlic, crushed
Four slices of French bread
Preheat the oven to 400 F
Pour olive oil into a flat ovenproof dish and add the garlic. Put the tomatoes in the oil and then add the goat cheese on top. Add a few shakes of salt and pepper.
Bake for 10 minutes. When done, add slivers of basil.
Serve with toasted French bread.
Love this blog! I am a new subscriber, yay! This recipe looks yum. Glad you could get some of those tomatoes to ripen, you must have brought some California with you!
ReplyDeleteI also happen to love (and even prefer) fried green tomatoes. Was actually brought up on them so that doesn't sound like a close second to me...
Keep us posted about Montana fall and winters! Cheers!