Sweet Child of the Vine
As Guy Clark famously sang, what would life be without homegrown tomatoes?
August is peak tomato season in Minnesota. For those who planted them this spring, it's been an agonizing wait for reddening and ripening fruits.
(Yes, they are technically fruits, because they have seeds and grow from the flower of a plant. But when something tastes this good — does it really matter?)
Tomatoes are nutrition packed, too — containing vitamin C, folate and beta carotene. They also have lycopene which is an antioxidant which may help protect one from certain cancers, such as skin or prostate cancer. Consuming lycopene has been shown to lessen one's risk of stroke and heart disease too.
See the recipes below for some of our favorite healthy ways to prepare them.
Beefsteak, cherry or roma? Whichever type you prefer, you come out a winner at the dinner table.