GBP Summer 2006 - May - Green Roma Tomatoes

After I posted about the Green Blog Project and when kind-hearted co-bloggers started to link the Project, I got nervous. Real nervous! I double, triple checked my plants every other day, checked my pots and soil to make sure I have them and they are okay and doing fine.

You know, I was nervous "What If none of my vegetables grow and I can’t post any?
"Well, I got nervous unnecessarily. They have no clue about the GBP for summer and they are all doing fine, healthy and happy (Now, touch wood!).
*Silence, Lights out********Tadang!!!! *Applause, All Lights*

For the month of May for Green Blog Project, I am introducing Garden Fresh Tomatoes.
Green Roma Tomatoes,grown in my garden from seeds, right from Italy…err…sorry from nearby Home Depot.I grow Roma Tomatoes, since they are medium shaped and the right amount for one batch of curry. Roma Tomatoes are heirloom variety from Italy, firm when ripe and very good for sauces and canning.
Tomato flowering in my yard

I got them as seeds (I normally don't like to buy plants, since I want to get that gardener’s satisfaction of starting my babies from seeds).Baby tomatoes starting to form from pollinated flowers

I collect plastic cups after a party, punch couple of holes at the bottom, fill it 3/4th with soil and compost, dig a hole with my finger through quarter way of the cup from top, put the seed in, cover with soil and water it regularly and give them good amount of sunshine. After the danger of frost, I plant them outside in the yard.Tomato ready to pluck for our dishI planted them on February end and now they are growing with vigor giving me a bunch of tomatoes to pick every other week. I pluck them before they turn ripe, for fear of tiny little birds that visit my garden and like to feast on them.Tomatoes are high in Lycopene content, though it is not advised to eat them raw regularly, since their skin can cause kidney stones.
Recipe for Green tomato fry:Green Tomatoes – 3 cups deseeded. Take out the seeds and the pulp after cutting them into half, seeds will make the dish mushy.Cut them into small pieces.Coarse grind or crush 2 pods of garlic, a pinch of cumin, a pinch of salt, ½ cup of coconut in a mortar pestle or without any water in a wet grinder.
Heat 1 tsp of oil, splutter ¼ tsp mustard seeds, sauté 1 sprig of curry leaves, one whole red chili split into two, ½ cup of red onions or shallots diced, 4 green chilies, a pinch of turmeric and salt – in that order.

Add the cut tomatoes, cover and cook for 10 minutes in low flame or until semi done. Now add the coconut paste in the middle, cover the coconut paste with the tomatoes and cover and cook again for 5 or 6 minutes. Open cover and in high flame, stir everything together continuously or until it becomes very dry.Serve it with rice or roti. Isint this a green green blog? :-). They taste similar to brinjal fry, but a little, a very little on the sour side. The coconut mixture actually balances the sourness of rawtomatoes.