A splash of summer in the midst of winter :)

One thing I've discovered about gardening...
"Million Bells" cherry tomatoes pretty much live up to their name. There are SCADS of 'em! And since we (for some reason I am not exactly sure of, mind you I was about to give birth -- well, not literally RIGHT AWAY but within a short period of time and my mind was a little fuzzy :)...) purchased four of these delightful plants for our garden - or was it six, now I really can't remember that either! - we had A LOT of cherry tomatoes.


And note -- eating too many cherry tomatoes in one day is BAD for the system ;).
We've figured that out two years in a row!


So, what to do? Freeze 'em. Wash em up and freeze 'em whole. I found two recipes online that allows you to make homemade tomato soup from these delicious little morsels - and the best part is, no peeling of skins. Just cook 'em up, puree the whole lot and strain it if you don't like the seeds ;).

Garden Fresh Tomato Soup

Ingredients

• 4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
• 1 slice onion
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons white sugar, or to taste

Directions

1. In a stockpot, over medium heat, combine the tomatoes, onion, cloves and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and gently boil for about 20 minutes to blend all of the flavors. Remove from heat and run the mixture through a food mill into a large bowl, or pan. Discard any stuff left over in the food mill.
2. In the now empty stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux, cooking until the roux is a medium brown. Gradually whisk in a bit of the tomato mixture, so that no lumps form, then stir in the rest. Season with sugar and salt, and adjust to taste.

Fresh Tomato Zucchini Soup

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium zucchini, cubed
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 8 large tomatoes, cored
• 1 small sweet onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh red chile pepper
• 1 (14 ounce) can vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon dried tarragon
• 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir the zucchini and garlic in the skillet until lightly browned. Remove from heat, and set aside.
2. In a blender or food processor, puree the tomatoes, onion, and chile pepper, leaving a few small chunks.
3. In a large pot, mix the tomato puree and vegetable broth. Season with tarragon, dill, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and mix in the zucchini and garlic. Cover, and cook 45 minutes.

YUMMY! With fresh baked biscuits, these were fun recipes to try. 
A little reminder of summer and warm days to come :).

Of course I still have some carrots and beets that never made it into the house and are now a frozen lump in the garage, but there's always next year!