by Chef Jeremy McLachlan

Whether you are green, pear, grape or big fat and juicy, I have some tricks for you! This month we are all about the tomahto, the British accent makes me sound more respectable and sophisticated — kinda like when Giada over pronounces her Italian words! This summer is shaping up to be the best growing season ever for tomatoes, and now the question arises on what to do with them after they are ripe for the pickin'. In this blog I give you my three biggest tips on how to handle the tomatoes.

When to Pick!

Nothing is better than taking that juicy ripe tomato off the vine and biting into it like an apple or putting it on an M.L.T (mutton, lettuce and tomato). Name the movie on that one! The perfect time to pick medium to large tomatoes is when they are ripe and red, but the little guys need to be pulled slightly early. When dealing with grape, cherry or pear tomatoes, you want to pick them early so they do not split. By early, I mean when they are slightly red or ripened on the bottom but still a little green closer to the vine. Then you place them in your window for two to three days and blamo they are ready!

Hydro Cooling

This is a great technique for all the vegetables in your garden. Once picked, you should soak your vegetables in ice water to get them to refrigerator temperature. Then they will store in your fridge for days instead of quickly wilting.

Sauce is the BOSS!

To be a true Italian, you need to make love to your sauce. When making your sauce, make sure you do two things. First, remove the skin and, second, remove the seeds. To do this you score the bottom of the tomato with an X, and then drop it into boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Next, drop the tomato in the ice water and the skin will fall off easily. Next, cut the tomato in half and squeeze the tomato seeds out like you're squeezing a lemon. Now you are ready to make sauce not war!