What should I do with all these Denver garden tomatoes?

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Yesterday, there were no tomatoes ripe in your Denver garden. Today there are six or seven and tomorrow they'll be 29. At this point you will be thinking, what the heck do I do with all these tomatoes? I can't possibly eat them. Well you probably can't eat all those tomatoes now, but you can eat some and make some long lasting goodies to eat later.

First of all, might I suggest that you pick your tomatoes as soon as they start to turn red and bring them inside. Put the tomatoes up in a sunny window to ripen. Why take this step? I do this because the birds and squirrels and other critters know when the tomatoes are ripe too. Did you plant tomatoes for you or them? That's what I thought.

Fresh tomatoes from the garden are great to bite into all by themselves. Eat them just like an apple and there is nothing better. My Dad used to slice them up and sprinkle them with salt or spread them with mayo for a quick snack. Of course they are a wonderful addition to any green salad. My favorite Denver tradition is fresh homemade salsa.

Salsa can be made and eaten right away or canned for later use and gifting. I use onions, tomatoes, garlic, cilantro and peppers from my own garden to make a mouth watering salsa with just a bit of a kick to it. Everyone likes these ingredients in different proportions. I usually add a bit of salt as well. This salsa can also be mixed with mashed avocados for the best guacamole dip ever.

My family also loves homemade marinara sauce from garden tomatoes, basil, green onions and garlic. Sauté a couple large green onions and a couple cloves of garlic in a bit of olive oil. Toss in about 2 cups of fresh basil from the garden. Add about ten chopped peeled fresh tomatoes and simmer for what seems like forever. Once it cooks down and everyone's drooling, it's ready.

If you have zucchini, onions, garlic, basil and tomatoes in your Denver garden, I highly recommend you try this next one. Coat the bottom of a large frying pan with olive oil. Heat the pan then add, a couple onions and a couple cloves of garlic. Slice the zucchini super thin and toss it right in. Now add a cup of basil and about 5 chopped tomatoes. Cook until tender and sprinkle with Parmesan.

There is no limit to the things you can do with fresh tomatoes. Don't forget, a lot of your recipes can be canned or frozen for later too. Be sure to share your garden abundance with neighbors, friends and relatives. If you have nobody to share with see about donating to local food banks. Imagine how wonderful your fresh Denver garden tomatoes will taste to a disadvantaged family!