Tomato Diaries - it's been a while

In our late summers of 2021 and 2022, I spammed my own feed with tomato posts and which, tongue in cheek, I called the tomato diaries. Every year, @plantstoplanks and I - in our respective tomato seasons - have tomato envy. She, now, and for the next few months. I, come July and August. So, Katie: I'm sorry. Not sorry!!

2023: no tomato diaries

Last year, for two reasons, they didn't happen - a holiday gift - thank you @lizelle. Those memories and that experience are now even more special and poignant. Then, when the Husband and I returned, a different, difficult journey curtailed almost everything in my life and ended his.

I am gradually picking up the pieces and part of that has to be my recovering enjoyment of food and cooking. And summer harvest.

Anyone who's followed me or my posts over the last nearly seven years will know that tomatoes are among my favourite foods - and ingredients.

Also, having missed last year's tomato crop, there are certain products I've not had to offer at the market. One of these is Passata.

Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself.

A necessary digression

T & H, relatively new arrivals in the village and who are part of my very important posse, have a surfeit of heirloom tomatoes. Also, for reasons not important (here, anyway), T wasn't able to harvest when he should, so quite a few are overripe and damaged.

I'm enough of a pragmatist (not to mention Scottish) to hate waste, so I'm happy to negotiate. That delivery of beautiful tomatoes did, for a moment, make my heart sing. They are beautiful.

I wanted them for two, no, three, actually four reasons:

Firstly, for my weekly in-the-jar special. It's always seasonal and plant-based. A couple of weeks ago, I'd found a wonderfully simple recipe for marinated cucumber and tomatoes. I tried it for myself and it was deliciously refreshing and as I'd made a lot, discovered that it kept well making it a great option for the market. Topped with fresh basil, what could be better?

If you're wondering, the brine is a mixture of apple cider vinegar, a little water and a little sugar. I adjusted the sugar because the tomatoes are really, really sweet.

Another digression

My friend S has a surplus of basil and when I asked for a little, she arrived with an enormous bag - full. So I have made pesto and it also features in the Passata.

Sunday Passata

Speaking of Passata, having realised that most of the yellow tomatoes would not keep for the second reason I needed the tomatoes - an order for Gazpacho - I decided to sort them and turn them into traditional Italian Passata.

A soffrito, if you're wondering is a base of sauteed onion, garlic, carrot and celery.

In the next couple of hours and while they reduced, I made another batch of granadilla curd - the first batch is almost sold - and R delivered another consignment that needed processing.

Once that was done, I took to the tomatoes. Again. At the end of the first cook, one blitzes the mix, returns it to another pot together with more sauteed onion and garlic. And, this time, a lot of fresh basil.

Then, that all has to reduce - again - until it reaches the right consistency - and flavour. For the first time that I remember, I added salt. These tomatoes are gloriously sweet and not very acid. I added salt and pepper.

Oh, and notice the colour? I had expected the finished product to be yellow because the majority of tomatoes that went into the pot were yellow, the finished product is either a deep yellow or pale orange. Take your pick.

I know I said it about a previous batch, but really, this time, it's the best batch I've ever made. Perfect for those cold winter nights when only a bowl of tomato pasta will add comforting warmth.

Until next time
Fiona
The Sandbag House
McGregor, South Africa

Photo: Selma
Post script

If this post might seem familiar, it's because I'm doing two things:

• re-vamping old recipes. As I do this, I am adding them in a file format that you can download and print. If you download recipes, buy me a coffee. Or better yet, a glass of wine....?
• and "re-capturing" nearly two years' worth of posts.

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Original artwork: @artywink

• lastly, graphics are created using partly my own photographs, images available freely available on @hive.blog and Canva.