86-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 29, 1998
Make It With Tomatoes
One medium tomato lias only 24
calories, is high in potassium, and
contains 14 percent of the USRDA
of vitamin A and 37 percent of the
USRDA of vitamin C.
Purchasing Tips:
• Tomatoes are available from
August to October.
• Choose tomatoes that are firm
and plump. Avoid those that arc
soft, bruised, cracked or otherwise
damaged.
• Ripe tomatoes are completely
red or reddish-orange (depending
on variety) and give slightly to
gentle palm pressure.
• Mature-green tomatoes have
quality similar to vine-ripened, if
given proper conditions to ripen.
• Select unpackaged tomatoes or
those packaged in perforated
wraps. This allows for good circu
lation, which is needed to ripen
tomatoes.
• One pound has three medium
or four small tomatoes, which will
yield I'A cups pulp.
Storage Tips:
• Ripe tomatoes may be stored at
room temperature for a couple of
days or in the refrigerator for up to
one week. Flavor and nutrient
quality will decline if held longer.
• Unripe-mature tomatoes
should be ripened at room temper
ature in a loosely closed paper bag
or ripening bowl for a couple of
days. Do not ripen in direct sun
light for they will not taste flavor
ful even if the skin is red. Toma
toes need good ventilation and
high humidity to ripen properly.
• Green lomoatoes will not ripen
further and usually spoil first.
They should be cooked or pickled
as soon as possible.
Preparation tips:
• Fresh tomatoes can be served
uncooked in salads or stewed,
baked, broiled or microwaved.
• When peeling ripe tomatoes
drip in boiling water for 30 to 60
seconds, then dip into cold water.
Skins will slide off.
• When freezing tomatoes, the
skins should be removed because
they become tough.
• When canning, only use firm
and ripe tomatoes. Overripe, soft,
or tomatoes picked after frost or
disease-killed plants have less acid
and may be unsafe to can.
Ideas With Tomatoes:
• Add tomato slices to grilled
cheese sandwiches for new taste
appeal.
• Bake or boil a tomato with
grated onion and shredded cheddar
cheese.
• Stuff fresh, whole tomatoes
with egg, chicken, or seafood
Recipe Topics
If you have recipes for the topics listed below, please share
them with us. We welcome your recipes, but ask that you
include accurate measurements, a complete list of ingredients
and clear instructions with each recipe you submit. Send your
recipes to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Farming, P.O. Box 609,
Ephrata, PA 17522. Recipes should reach our office one week
before publishing date listed below.
September
12-
19-
26-
salad, then top with low-fat cottage
cheese or yogurt.
• Saute cherry tomatoes in butter
with garlic.
• Place tomato halves, cut side
up, in a greased baking dish. Top
with mixture of cooked fresh spi
nach, minced onion, seasoning,
and bread crumbs, then bake about
15 minutes or until thoroughly
heated.
• Stew tomatoes by placing
diced tomatoes in a saucepan with
out water. Season with salt, pep
per, and a pinch of sugar; add diced
onion and or green pepper. Sim
mer in a tightly covered pot on low
heat for about 10 to 15 minutes,
stirring occasionally.
Tomato Salad Ideas:
• Marinate fresh diced tomatoes
and onions with oil, a little vinegar,
and oregano; salt and pepper to
taste. Serve very cold.
• Marinate fresh diced tomatoes
and sliced zucchini, cucumber and
onion, with Italian salad dressing
of an oil and vinegar mixture.
• Mix tomato slices, green pep
per rings, chopped celery and
onions with freshly ground black
pepper, a dash of cayenne pepper,
ground cumin, and olive oil.
• Mix tomato slices with
crumbled feta cheese, chopped
walnuts, fresh chives. Sprinkle
with olive oil.
• Spinkle sliced tomatoes with
parmesan cheese, olive oil, and
minced fresh basil.
• Marinate 2 pints cheny toma
toes for 2 hours or overnight. Use
3 A teaspoon salt,'/«teaspoon sugar,
'A cup fresh lemon juice, 3 A cup
vegetable oil, 1 clove garlic
(minced), ‘A teaspoon dried thyme
and basil leaves, and 1 tablespoon
chopped parsley.
TOMATO SALSA
4 cups peeled, cored, chopped
tomatoes
2 cups seeded, chopped long
green chiles
'A cup seeded, chopped jalapeno
peppers
3 A cups chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon oregano leaves
1 tablespoons fresh cilantro
I'A teaspoons salt
Combine all ingredients in a
large saucepan and bring the mix
ture to a boil, stirring frequently.
Reduce heat and simmer 20
minutes, stirring occasionally.
Ladle hot into pint jars, leaving
'A -inch headspace. Adjust lids and
process in boiling water canner for
15 minutes. Yield 4 pints.
Lamb Recipes
Packed Lunches
National Rice Month
Pizza Varieties
Tomatoes add flavor and coloc to many Italian dishes. Italian Polenta Cheese Cas
serole demonstrates the wonderful combination of cheese and tomatoes.
SPICED TOMATO
BROTH WITH ORZO
Orzo is a tiny, riced-shapedpas
ta especially suitable for soups.
You can use white rice instead of
orzo if you prefer just increase the
final cooking time from 10 to 20
minutes.
I cup finely chopped red
onion
1 tablespoon oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Va teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon honey
3 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded,
and finely chopped
3 cups canned vegetable broth
Juice and grated zest of two
oranges
‘/a cup orzo pasta
Yogurt or sour cream to garnish
(optional)
In a large pot over medium heat,
saute onion in oil until golden,
about 7 minutes. Add garlic, cinna
mon, and allspice and cook, stir
ring, for 2 minutes more.
Add honey, tomatoes, broth,
juice, and zest. Bring to a boil,
reduce heat and simmer for 15
minutes. Add or/o and simmer for
10 minutes mo-e. Garnish with
sour cream, if desired. Makes 6
servings.
""Nil*
Featured Recipe
Lisa Heimbach is proud to be representing the dairy industry
as the 1998-99 SUN Area Dairy Princess. She looks forward to a
busy and fulfilling year with her alternates Sandra Beck, from
New Columbia, and Sanda Opdyke, from McClure. The dairy
maids are Christina Brosious, Sarah Erdley, Selena Hollenbach,
Tina Hollenbach, Leslie Kenamond, Jennifer McWilliams, Tara
Rice, Jessica Risser, Rachel Risser, and Susan Showers. The Dairy
Misses are Brittany Fry, Amanda Hauck, Raquel Hauck, Dawn
Heimbach, Brittany Rice, Tanya Rice, Janelle Risser, Amanda
Shaffer, Laci Shirley, Anna Spangler, Corinda Varner, and
Jennifer Waite.
Lisa lives in Mt. Pleasant Mills with two brothers, two sisters
and parents Robert and Vicky Heimbach. They live on a 140-acre
dairy farm with about 50 milking head. Lisa said “I have been
raised on a dairy farm all my life and I feel I am prepared to
inform those who don’t know how important the dairy industry is,
and to say thanks to the farmers. Along with my reign I will con
tinue to work on the family farm, at Big Country radio station,
and also attend SUN Tech for cosmetology.”
Did you know your skeleton is made up of 206 bones? Since
they are mostly made up of calcium they need a daily dose of this
mineral. Your bones need calcium to keep them strong and
healthy, also to keep you away from that awful bone crippling dis
ease osteoporosis. Calcium is primarily found in milk and dairy
foods. Other greens have small amounts: it would take three cups
of fresh broccoli to get the same calcium in one glass of milk! So
don’t deprive your body of what it wants and needs to function
properly. Treat yourself to your favorite bowl of ice cream, and
salute your neighbor farmer. Then try a new recipe!
1 cup milk
5 scoops vanilla ice cream
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 large banana, peeled and diced
Whipped cream
Chopped peanuts
In a blender container, place milk, banana and peanut butter,
blend until combined.
Add ice cream; blend until smooth,
Pour into two tall glasses; toped with whipped cream and
peanuts.
(2 servings; 380 mg calcium per serving)
Rock ’n’ Roll Shake