Tomato Forest Bids You Farewell

Well, two hard freezes in a row may have been too much for the tomato forest.  After Wednesday's heavy rains washed all the dead and dying leaves off the plants, there really wasn't much left.  Some of the plants in the very back still had bright green leaves and even flowers, but their time is past.  Which is fine, really.  It's almost time to plant spring tomatoes!

Ripening on the dining room table now...

This year, the fall tomatoes produced very well, but just a little too slowly for the weather.  You never can tell:  some years, we don't get a frost until very late, and some years it sneaks up on us.  Most of these tomatoes will ripen on the counter, and the ones that don't we'll eat anyway.

Heavy equipment optional.

Fried green tomatoes isn't just a movie -- they're the easiest things in the world to cook.  Slice them fairly thick, dip them in something like milk, buttermilk or egg, then dredge them in something like cracker crumbs, bread crumbs or cornmeal.  Then fry them up!  I like mine with some sort of sauce.  Marinara sauce is good, but it doesn't seem right to serve tomatoes with tomato sauce.  Try sour cream mixed with a judicious amount of prepared horseradish.  There are probably young people in this very house who would vote for ketchup -- but don't listen to that sort of nonsense.

Cheers, and Happy New Year to you all!