4 Simple ways to enjoy garden tomatoes all year long

If you garden, and you have any number of tomato plants in your garden, you know that there comes a point every summer when the garden tomatoes seem to ripen all at once! While eating them fresh is one of the best parts of having a garden, sometimes there is too much at one time to eat fresh, so this is our chance to preserve a taste of summer to enjoy year-round.

Tomatoes are incredibly versatile so there are plenty of simple and delicious ways to use them. Below I’ll share a few of my go-to favourite options for handling the wave of end-of-summer tomatoes headed our way! Even if you don’t grow your own, there are likely lots of local farms and markets in your area where you can source tomatoes and give some of these ideas a try.

This post contains affiliate links. By clicking on these links, we may earn a small commission on applicable purchases. This is done at no extra cost to you. We are a part of the Amazon Associates program as well as other affiliate programs. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy & Disclaimers page.

Why grow your own tomatoes?

Growing your own tomatoes is a great way to save money while making meals a little more sustainable. A few plants can produce a surprisingly generous harvest, especially when grown from seed or small starter plants. And tomatoes do very well in containers, so growing a few plants in a small space very do-able.

There are plenty of other benefits, too. Homegrown tomatoes are picked when they’re ripe and ready to eat, so you get surprisingly flavourful produce – there are vegetables I didn’t know I liked until I grew and ate them fresh – it’s a whole new world! You also have more control over what goes into growing your food, from the soil and compost you use to how you manage pests.

And don’t overlook the fun factor! Gardening is a wonderful way to get the whole family involved. My kids help plant seedlings, water the garden, and help with the harvesting. It’s very satisfying to sit down and eat a meal made with food you helped grow – not to mention giving younger family members perspective on where food comes from, and the impact of food waste.

Easy ways to use garden tomatoes

Make homemade tomato soup
Tomato soup is an easy way to use up a large harvest. Roast fresh tomatoes with onion, garlic, and any other veggies on hand like peppers, carrots, zucchini, be sure to drizzle on olive oil to add some good fats! Combine roast vegetables with broth then blend until smooth. Add herbs such as basil or oregano or some fresh parsley and a splash of plant-based cream if you like a creamier soup. Make a big batch and freeze the leftovers for an easy winter meal.

Cook up a simple pasta sauce
Fresh tomatoes can quickly become a delicious homemade pasta sauce. Cook chopped tomatoes with onion, garlic, basil and oregano until they break down into a thick sauce. You can leave it chunky or blend it smooth. Freeze portions in reusable containers so you’ve got an easy dinner ready for a busy night.

Keep it fresh with salads
When tomatoes are ripe, you really don’t need to do much to them. Add sliced tomatoes to a green salad, make a simple tomato and cucumber salad, or combine tomatoes with fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil for an easy summer side dish. Tomatoes are a great input to meal prepping as well, such as this cowboy caviar that can be used as a dip or a side. While this option might be hard to enjoy year-round, if you keep a tomato plant in a covered space, it’s possible to extend the season of tomato plants well into the fall.

Make homemade salsa
Fresh salsa is another great way to use up tomatoes. Combine diced tomatoes with onion, peppers, cilantro, lime juice and a little salt. Adjust the ingredients to suit your family’s taste and enjoy it with tortilla chips, tacos or burrito bowls. My husband made a batch last weekend and it is so delicious! We’ve been having it on eggs, with tortilla chips, on chili – it’s not going to last long.

Save some for winter

One of the best things about growing your own food is being able to enjoy it long after gardening season ends. Depending on how much you grow, tomatoes can be frozen, canned or cooked into sauces and soups for later.

Freezing is my favourite way to preserve summer produce. I will typically freeze whole ripe tomatoes (I mostly grow cherry and grape tomatoes) and use them later in soups or sauces. It’s nice to have a treat of garden tomato in the winter months!

Growing and preserving your own tomatoes is a fun, practical way to save money, reduce our carbon footprint and enjoy fresh, nutrient-rich food throughout the year. So if your garden is overflowing with tomatoes right now, select a few recipes and fill up your freezer!

Let’s keep in touch! Sign up to receive email updates from A Sustainably Simple Life below:

We’d love to add you to our monthly email list! Send us an email with “Subscribe” in the subject line to asustainablysimplelife [at] gmail.com or fill out the form here: Subscribe to A Sustainably Simple Life

You can unsubscribe at any time.