Tomatoes: picking, storage and recipes
A tomato picked ripe on the vine tastes like few shop tomatoes do. Unlike strawberries, it can also ripen after picking.
📅 Season: Outdoors July to September; from greenhouses June to October.
How to tell it's ripe
- Full colour for the variety (red, yellow, pink or dark), with no green shoulders.
- The fruit gives slightly under your fingers and smells fragrant at the stalk.
- It comes away easily at the knuckle of the stalk.
How to pick
- Hold the fruit in your palm and snap the stalk at the knuckle with your thumb — or use secateurs.
- Don't pull the plant: the stems are brittle and still carry fruit.
- Use split fruit the same day for sauce.
Storage
- Keep them at room temperature, stalk down, out of direct sun — the fridge kills the flavour.
- Leave half-ripe ones on a board or in a paper bag with an apple to ripen.
- Turn any surplus into sauce and freeze or bottle it.
Recipes
Homemade tomato sauce
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg ripe tomatoes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 onion
- basil
- salt and a little sugar
Method
- Score the tomatoes, blanch briefly, peel and chop.
- Soften the onion and garlic in the oil, add the tomatoes and simmer gently for 40 minutes.
- Season with salt, a pinch of sugar and basil; blend or leave chunky.
Panzanella — tomato and bread salad
Ingredients
- 600 g ripe tomatoes
- 200 g stale bread
- 1 cucumber
- 1 red onion
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp wine vinegar
- basil and salt
Method
- Tear the bread into cubes and toast briefly in a pan or the oven.
- Chop the tomatoes, cucumber and onion, salt them and leave 10 minutes to release their juice.
- Toss with the bread, oil, vinegar and basil and rest another 10 minutes before serving.
Roasted garlic tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 kg small tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- oregano
- salt
Method
- Halve the tomatoes and lay them cut side up in a tin.
- Scatter with garlic, oregano and salt and drizzle with the oil.
- Roast at 180 °C for 30 minutes. Great with pasta or on bread.
ⓘ These are general tips; at a pick-your-own always follow the host's instructions.
More tips
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