Tomato Tips

Tomatoes, the red jewel of cooking, makes so many dishes taste great. Cooking and growing tomatoes can be as challenging as arguing whether the juicy red treat is a fruit or a vegetable.
Here are some tips to streamline your future tomato time.

Growing Tomatoes

After many disappointing seasons of low producing tomato plants, I finally learned the secret to tomato filled vines -- pollination. All those blooms that never produced tomatoes just never were pollinated. With the reduction in bees and other insects within my suburban yard, the chance for the stray insect to find my tomato blooms at just the right moment is slim. So I took over bee-duties. I purchased a tool for the purpose, but a cotton swab or electric toothbrush would also work.

The results?  Nearly every bloom now becomes a tomato. In fact, I have to be selective so that I don't overload fragile vines. So if you want more tomatoes, be the bee.

Peeling Tomatoes

Peeling the taut-skinned gems can be an exercise in frustration. There is an easy way to separate the skin from the fruit (or vegetable). All it takes is a little boiling water.

Place raw tomatoes in boiling water. Once the skin cracks, remove the tomatoes and run under cold water until the tomato cools enough to handle. Now the skin will slide off easily by hand, leaving the bulk of the tomato intact.

Seasoning Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a highly acidic fruit (or vegetable depending on your side of the argument) which can cause problems for those with sensitive digestive problems. Fresh tomatoes seem to be more problematic than canned ones.

So how do you deal with the acidity? The answer is -- sugar. A tablespoon or two (to taste) will cut the acidity of spaghetti sauces, soups and dips. It will provide a smoother, more digestible flavor.

Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine and the tomatoes go down.