Anyone else running into extra tomatoes from the garden? I love this time of year, although it definitely takes getting creative with ingredients. I recently made pickled jalapeños and just started throwing ingredients from the fridge in with them so they didn’t go bad! Another favorite that’s easy is Vegetable Bean Garden Soup – As the name suggests it’s beans and whatever I have in the garden thrown together. Add 4 cups of vegetable broth, stewed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt/pepper, and VOILA you have a yummy soup perfect for warm and cold days alike. In the beginning of summer I’m just begging for a few pieces of produce to grow and now I can’t get anything to slow down. Every year, I’m looking for new ways to use and save the ingredients from the garden. If you have any ideas, send them my way! If you’re wondering what I have planted, it’s just about everything, so send any and all ideas for ALL sorts of produce please! If I don’t have it planted this year, I might just plant it next year.
When I first started planting food, I had so much stuff die. The truth is I still do. I’m the type to learn as I go and I do as little research as necessary to begin my new adventures. The important part however, is that I never forget what I learn when I fail. Isn’t that what they say, you learn more from failure than you do from success? I must have wrote the book on that because ever since I was a wee little baby, I’ve been adamant to figure things out on my own so I know and learn every detail of the how to and it sticks. Anyone else out there like me?!?! It seems like a lot of extra work, but in the end it’s rewarding and I feel like my understanding is much deeper.
This year, these yellow babies (seen in picture) have all or most grown with tough bottoms, like they started to rot before they fully developed. After some googling, it turns out they were suffering from end rot, caused by an erratic watering schedule. This is me to T. One year I wondered why my back garden that I had inherited from the previous home owners hadn’t blossomed. It turns out you have to WATER THE GARDEN, how was this not on my radar?!?! Goodness. As I stood at the Farmers Market and the lead Gardner’s first questions was “How often do you water it?” I could hardly find the words to answer her, in mid-july mind you, “Ummmm, I haven’t yet this year.” Wow. You live and you learn… kind of. I still am terrible at getting back there daily to water but I am definitely better than I was before. In all fairness, I did have a newborn, but there is just no excuse for NOT watering flowers at all ha ha.
That all being said, tomatoes are hardy little suckers and they are a favorite for every recipe in my home. I hope you enjoy this simple one below. It’s packed with nutrients, protein, and more. Ezekiel bread takes the cake for healthy breads, and ricotta is my new favorite as a vegetarian to add protein occasionally into my diet. I do try to limit my dairy but it’s always a nice treat when I have it. I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think!
XOXO Jess
Wine Pairing
My initial go-to would be a nice Sauvignon Blanc like ONEHOPE Wine’s California Vintner Sauvignon Blanc that donates and supports replanting the rainforest. This bright white is a perfect compliment to the lemon olive oil and gives a crisp farewell to summer as we move into fall.
If you are more of a red drinker, or if the season has already moved to fall, I think I might prefer our California Vintner Merlot. The medium body and touch of herbs will compliment the flavors and let them all stand out and shine. Imagine the leaves start to fall but there’s still enough warmth to enjoy an early dinner outside. A little ricotta toast and red wine please; perfection!
Easy Ricotta Tomato Toast
Ingredients
- 15 Garden fresh tomatoes Small like cherry but any variety will work; Cherry or sweet reds have a sweetness that's preferred but my second favorite are romas for this recipe, cut into small pieces
- 1 Teaspoon Lemon Olive Oil Or your favorite
- 1 Teaspoon Lemon Olive Oil For drizzle over toast
- 1 Teaspoon Balsamic Vinagraitte Your favorite will do
- 1 Teaspoon Aged White Balsamic Reduced Your local Oil store will have this or any reduction of balsamic will do
- 1 Pinch Salt
- 1 Pinch Pepper
- 3 Pinch Dried Basil or Fresh from the garden chopped
- 1 Spread Reduced Fat Ricotta You decide how much you like
- 2 Slices Ezekiel Bread Toasted
Instructions
- Cut Tomatoes into halves or quarters while toasting bread
- Toss tomatoes in balsamic vinaigrette, basil, salt, pepper, and 1 part of the olive oil
- Spread Ricotta over toasted bread
- Drizzle other part of olive oil over ricotta
- Divide tomatoes onto both pieces of toast
- Drizzle with reduced balsamic
- Serve and enjoy
