Dark Creek Chronicles: What To Do With All Those Tomatoes?

My love affair with tomatoes goes way, way back. When I was four we lived in Australia. We had a single tomato plant growing in a pot out on the front steps. When the first tomato was ripe (I have no idea what variety it was, but I do remember it was huge and a rich, deep red in colour) my mother asked me if I'd like to pick it. I did and held this massive fruit in my pudgy little hands.

"How are we going to eat this?" I asked.

"The best way to eat a tomato," Mom replied, "... is to sink your teeth into it and eat it like an apple."

I thought my mother was insane - everyone knows a tomato is not an apple. Being a good child, though, I did as I was told and took a big bite of the tomato. The taste was amazing - sweet and sharp - and the tomato, being very ripe, was so juicy I dribbled tomato juice everywhere.

That first experience with a fresh tomato spoiled me. Ever since I've been searching for another sublime tomato experience... Today on All Points West, Jo-Ann Roberts and I chat about how we are coping with the tomato harvest here on Dark Creek Farm. Visit the All Points West website to listen to the episode, if you missed it live. It takes a day or two for the link to appear, but meanwhile, send your favourite tomato recipe to allpointswest[at]cbc.ca and we'll put your name in the draw for a copy of Tomato, by Gail Harland and Sofia Larrinua-Craxton.


As promised, here are the books we mentioned on today's segment as well as Carolyn Herriot's fine recipe for Roasted Tomatoes. There are more where this came from in Carolyn's book, A Year on the Garden Path.

Roasted Tomatoes

Intensify the flavour of your homegrown tomatoes!

(1 to 2  hours roasting time)
Preheat oven to 350F (175C)

5 lbs. whole washed roma tomatoes
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Place tomatoes in a single layer in a large roasting pan, lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Put the pan, uncovered, in the oven and roast the tomatoes for 1 to 2 hours until they have reduced in size by one-third and are lightly browned on top. Let cool for 15 minutes. Add to a multiple of recipes, or just eat on a cracker or with nacho chips.


And, here's the list of other books mentioned on the program:


Tomato: A guide to the pleasures of choosing, growing, and cooking, by Gail Harland and Sofia Larrinua-Craxton



Enlightened Eating: Nourishment for Body and Soul, by Caroline Marie Dupont
(source of the salsa recipe... Said salsa is particularly tasty when consumed atop Lesley Stowe's Raincoast Crisps. They come in several flavours, but the ones we were munching on were the fig and olive crackers. Check out the Raincoast Crisps website for more information.)


Caprial's Cafe Favourites, by Caprial Spence
(source of Jane's fave roasted tomato sauce recipe)