Salads without fussy dressings
Ripe tomatoes need nothing more than salt, oil and herbs. Cut them just before serving and keep them out of the fridge.
Seasonal ideas
Seasonal ideas
A summer tomato from the garden and a winter one from the shop are almost different ingredients. Rather than expecting the same from both, it's easier to cook with the seasons: in summer, eat them raw and keep it simple; in autumn, preserve and rescue green tomatoes; in winter, rely on canned tomatoes and the oven.
The best winter tomato sauce is made from summer tomatoes. A few jars put up in August save you from disappointment in January.
How this section works: ideas are grouped by season, and each one is based on which tomatoes are available at that time and what they are best used for.
Summer
Peak season for ripe tomatoes: keep it simple.
End of season and autumn
What to do when there are plenty of tomatoes but less and less warmth.
Green tomatoes
Tomatoes that didn't have time to ripen can be pickled — for example, in a Korean-style salad. They aren't usually eaten raw in large amounts.
Korean-style green tomato salad (in Russian)
Preserves
Sauce, tomato paste, freezing and canning using tested recipes with added acid.
Ripening indoors
Tomatoes that are turning brownish or pink will often ripen at home: lay them in a box in a single layer and check them every few days.
Winter and spring
Good fresh tomatoes are scarce — rely on your stores and the oven.
Canned tomatoes
Tomatoes in their own juice give sauces and soups more flavour than pale fresh ones. A good base for winter dishes.
Shop-bought cherry tomatoes
In winter, cherry tomatoes often taste better than large ones. Roast them with oil and garlic to bring out their flavour.
Baked tomatoes with cheese (in Russian)
Seedlings
Late winter is the time to choose varieties for the garden and sow seeds for seedlings. Start by learning about the different kinds of cherry tomatoes.
Cherry tomatoes: the different kinds (in Russian)
How to choose tomatoes by season
- In summer, choose by smell and weight: a ripe tomato smells fragrant at the stem and feels heavy for its size.
- In autumn, don't shy away from misshapen or cracked tomatoes for sauce and paste — just make sure the cracks are dry and free of mould.
- In winter, buy cherry or plum tomatoes and cook them in the oven, and use canned tomatoes for sauces.
- In spring, check for firmness: overly soft tomatoes with no aroma are better roasted than put in a salad.
- Whatever the season, don't put ripe tomatoes in the fridge if you plan to eat them in the next few days.
Related sections
- Recipes
Four home recipes: pasta with fresh tomato sauce, a salad, a puréed soup and bruschetta.
- Cooking techniques
Blanching, roasting, oven-drying, sauce, homemade tomato paste, freezing and safe home canning.
- Korean-style green tomato salad (in Russian)
A new home recipe for Korean-style green tomato salad with carrot, pepper and garlic.
- Cherry tomatoes: the different kinds (in Russian)
Cherry tomato shapes and colours, determinate and indeterminate plants, cherry tomatoes in the kitchen.
Sources
- PNAS (2016) — study on storing tomatoes at low temperature
- National Center for Home Food Preservation (USDA)
- State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation (Gossortkomissiya)
Times and temperatures in these recipes are a guide: a lot depends on your hob, oven, pans and the tomatoes themselves. For home preserving, use tested recipes that give processing times.