A guide to using peak summer tomatoes

The days here in the Northern Hemisphere are beginning to be noticeably shorter, yet the air is still thick and the temperatures scorching. This combination of events means that we have reached peak tomato season. If you are a procrastinator like me, you probably have not carefully organized all of the wonderful tomato recipes you came across during the dead of winter and now you are faced with a glut of gorgeous ripe fruit with no clear plans. We’ve got two great resources to help in this situation. 

First off, The Washington Post has a lovely missive on the different types of tomatoes and how to use them. From tiny currant and grape varieties to hefty beefsteaks, the article provides suggestions for using every type of tomato. For example, the article notes that while plum or roma tomatoes are good for canning and tomato sauce, they also make great gazpacho that doesn’t get watery.

The EYB Library also contains a plethora of ideas. There are nearly 20,000 recipes with tomatoes as an ingredient, and you can easily narrow down the options. For instance, you can use the term ” heirloom” to narrow it down to recipes specifically tailored to that type. Likewise, ” cherry tomato” culls the list down to a much more manageable size. Using “beefsteak” also brings you to a small subset of great choices. 

To make it even easier, we’ve put together a list of favorites based on rating and buzz. Try one of these terrific tomato dishes and enjoy the golden garden days. 

• Cucumber tomato salad from ciaoflorentina.com
• Tomato tart from The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Vegetable Cookbook (pictured above)
• Tomato and pomegranate salad from Plenty More
• Tender and crisp chicken legs with sweet tomatoes from Jamie’s Dinners
• Tomato-mustard tart from Around My French Table
• Roasted tomato croques with pickled peppers from Food & Wine
• Cream of roasted tomato soup from Food52