Tomato Season!
The Great Debate!
Here it is! The infamous question: Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? Well, there’s no easy way to answer this question because the real answer is…both! Botanically speaking, tomatoes are fruits because they are a ripened flower ovary and they contain seeds. However, nutritionists, grocery stores, as well as our government consider them to be vegetables. So for our everyday purpose, vegetable classification wins the debate! Learn some more fun facts about tomatoes in the Farmers Almanac.
Tomatoes are typically in season from July to October here in Connecticut. Make sure to check out your local farmers markets to grab some fresh picked tomatoes by clicking here!
Tomato Events in CT
Here in CT, there are lots of different festivals and events, and to our luck, some are tomato themed! Yes, you heard me right…tomato themed. Yum! Listed below are some of the tomato festivals happening near you:
White Silo Farm & Winery
Sherman, CT
Saturday August 26th, 1:00 pm
Rosedale Farms
Simsbury, CT
Thursday September 7th, 6:00-9:00 pm
Ready, Set, Tomato!
Do you ever feel scared or overwhelmed at the idea to delve into a sauce from scratch? Well, gather your tomatoes, get your pots ready, and open up the spice cabinet, because with these various recipes, you’ll be cooking up a pasta sauce from scratch in no time! Try one of these sauce recipes below:
Not a Sauce Person?
Don’t fret, there are still plenty of other ways you can incorporate fresh tomatoes into your recipes. Whether you want to just slice them up and eat them fresh, or integrate them into your cooking, there is always an option! Here are some great alternatives to using those fresh tomatoes in the kitchen:
Kids Corner with Molly
In my household, ketchup is a fan favorite, especially for my 2 year old son. I’m guilty of- on more than one occasion- giving into the whole, “More ketchup Mommy, more ketchup!” There are times that I easily plop 4-5 tablespoons of ketchup on my son’s plate during the entirety of one meal. After doing a little research, I was sickened to learn that that’s about 18 grams of sugar. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a maximum of 25 grams of sugar per day in children 2-18 years of age. That means, in just one sitting, my son is almost getting his full day’s intake of sugar JUST from ketchup alone. Yikes!
I started thinking about how I can cater to my son’s love of ketchup, but do it in a healthy way. What better way to do this than make my own ketchup with fresh tomatoes?! I looked up a bunch of recipes and found Homemade Ketchup With Fresh Tomatoes.
This recipe was super easy to follow and my kids LOVED it. In making my own ketchup, I was able to incorporate fresh tomatoes into my kid’s diet without all the extra artificial ingredients, corn syrups, and sodium. They even enjoyed helping out in the kitchen -minus the meltdown from not being able to cut with the knife. Now my kids can have their multiple helpings of ketchup and I can be guilt free! Who doesn’t love that? I would say it’s an ultimate win!
