plenty of tomatoes now

After getting a slow start this year, our garden is really doing well.

From Lonnie's side we have Better Boy tomatoes, and from my side we have the squash, Armenian cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.

The tomatoes have to be picked before they are completely ripe...or else bugs or birds will make holes in them.  

After eating "Tomato and Miracle Whip" sandwiches for days (because they are so good) we could no longer keep up with the ripening tomatoes - so I decided to skin and chop some to put some in the freezer.

I had always dipped tomatoes in boiling water to make their skins loose for easy peeling, but now I've learned that using the microwave is quicker and not as messy.

Just cut a large X through the skin of the tomato from the top.

Microwave for 30 seconds and the skin will peel right off.  (Do only one at a time)

Dicing up the tomatoes made me think of making Bruschetta, and I have basil growing in a flower pot , so I made a batch of that and put only one container of tomatoes in the freezer.

For supper  I sauteed chicken breasts and topped them with the Bruschetta and a little Asiago cheese.

Pretty good and it made a nice summer meal with a Caesar salad.

About those Armenian cucumbers... I don't recommend them. Lot's of vines with not many cucumbers.

Those first two that I picked didn't have much of a cucumber taste either.  That made me wonder if I should be leaving them on the vine longer.  

They are supposed to grow up to 24" long.

I am going to let that one grow for awhile and see what happens!