Corn smut and roasting tomatoes

Tue. Sep. 3, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Corn smut and roasting tomatoes

Fresh tomatoes, green beans, beets, cucumbers and corn oh my! I just roasted some co-op bought plum tomatoes with  jalapenos, garlic, coarse salt, some with my oregano and some with my basil. A friend has been supplying me with fresh corn from her farm. It’s THE sweetest EVER! (Thanks, Mary!)

I took a poll on my Garden Bite facebook page and it would appear the “typewriter” way of eating ears is the most preferred!

 I grew corn twice but had so much corn smut that I gave up.  I’m not talking about some creepy thing you might see on the internet but a fungus that infects corn. 

corn smut by eattheweeds

Some love it. In fact in Mexico it’s a delicacy called Huitlacoche sometimes referred to as Mexican truffle.  It’s not for me! But I dislike any fungus! One of my favorite restaurants where I live, Kahlo’s, has it on their menu. I just can’t make myself try it but you might like to…    Huitlachoche Recipes [University of Illinois]

Anyhoo, I roasted a small batch of tomatoes.  Slipped them in at 450 for about 30 minutes. My intern, Gracie, and I created a video last week before she starts 12th grade! I intend on having this video up soon.

these are tomatoes from my garden – a little juicier than I would recommend for storing

The tomatoes will last for 5 days in the fridge but you can freeze them which is what I’ve done in the past. They’ll keep for up to 6 months, if they’re around that long.  I use them in stews and soups as well as pasta. 

brush with olive oil – I also have mixed in my dried herbs into the olive oil – you’ll see that on the video

jalapenos, basil on some, oregano on others and always garlic for me!
roasted and ready! I love the dill triscuits …
Some havarti cheese on top! A lighter cheese is recommended so as not to compete with the intense tomato flavor. These were all eaten pretty quickly!

And here’s the video!!!!  Please like my video on youtube (if you do!) and comment

I highly suggest using plum, paste or roma style tomatoes. I didn’t on this first batch so they were juicy and messy. Tasty too. But the meatier the tomato, the better for freezing and refrigerating! The batch in the video are plum tomatoes!

I also dehydrate tomatoes – any heating intensifies the tomato flavor and this method works really well. I then put them in baggies, using them for salads in particular. But also freeze them and use them in recipes!

dehydrating tomatoes 2019
in the bag!