Slice into sunshine with a juicy tomato

Nothing quite says summer time like a juicy tomato fresh from the vine. That first slice is like a ray of sunshine brightening up your day. Imagine picking a tomato from the vine and eating it while standing in the garden.

Tomatoes are packed with vitamins and good health. They are high in vitamin C and a good source of Vitamin A. They are fat-free, low in sodium and satisfy 10 percent of your daily potassium needs. One medium-sized tomato has only 30 to 35 calories and provides valuable amounts of niacin, thiamin, and iron.

They are the most consumed nonstarchy vegetable and once cooked, are a significant source of lycopene. Many researchers support a positive relationship between consuming tomatoes and tomato products and the reduced risk of certain cancers.

Since tomatoes bruise easy, treat them with a little tender loving care to prevent them from being damaged. Always store your tomatoes stem end up. Leaving a tomato on its top, even for a few days, is enough to bruise it. Place them on your counter where they can ripen and you can enjoy them.

The most important thing to remember is to never, ever refrigerate tomatoes. A chilled tomato will not finish ripening as cold halts the ripening process. Cold also kills the flavor of tomatoes, so even when the tomatoes are fully ripe, keep them out of the refrigerator. The exception here would be once they are cut. At that point, they must be refrigerated due to food safety concerns.

If you have tomatoes that are not yet ripe, ripen them by storing them at room temperature in a dry spot. A day or two at room temperature should do the trick, but if they’re really green then usually no more than five days. Once you see the rich color, you will know they are ripe.

The ideal stage of ripeness for tomatoes at the time of purchase varies with the temperature at which they have been stored. If buying from a grocery store, buy those that have already reached the desired stage of ripeness.

Grocery store tomatoes are usually refrigerated, so they will not improve in flavor.

Those purchased from a local farmers market are brought directly from the field to the market, so they can be purchased at various stages of ripeness and will be very flavorful.

There are more than 4,000 tomato varieties, ranging from the small, marble size cherry tomato to the giant Ponderosa that can weigh three pounds. The difference in the varieties determines their use.

Cherry, globe, and grape are wonderful in salads or eaten just out of hand. Larger Better Boy, Brandywine and Beef Steak tomatoes are most often used for sandwiches. If you are making salsa, then the plum and pear shaped varieties, such as Roma are the best choice due to their meatiness.

Any tomato variety will work well for these easy marinated tomatoes. I have made them with cherry tomatoes, Roma, globe and even Brandywine fresh from the market. They use ingredients you can easily find in your kitchen and require very little effort, but yield tasty results. They are always a hit.

For your free copy of “Tomatoes— Arkansas Fresh” with recipes and more information, contact the Miller County Extension Office, 870-779-3609 or visit us in room 215 at the Miller County Courthouse. We’re online at cdue@uaex.edu, on Facebook at UAEXMillerCountyFCS/CarlaDue, on Twitter @MillerCountyFCS or on the web at uaex.edu/Miller.

A SLICE OF SUNSHINE MARINATED TOMATOES

3 medium tomatoes, sliced 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh basil, or 1 teaspoon dried

2 teaspoons vinegar

1/8 teaspoon each salt, pepper 1 clove garlic, minced

Combine oil, basil, vinegar, basil, salt, pepper and garlic to a mason jar with lid. Shake well. In a bowl with a lid, layer tomatoes. Pour mixture over tomatoes and toss gently to coat evenly. Occasionally toss ingredients in bowl to coat with mixture. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Carla Due is a county extension agent-staff chair with the Miller County Extension Service, part of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.