tomatoes and tomato paste

So, don't be deceived by this picture.

You see the tomato on the right, the "smaller" one. That's a large size tomato you would buy at any grocery store. Size of a tennis ball at least.

Say hello to Bertha on the left.

I'm not kidding you, that tomato was the size of my head.

I've been meaning to blog about it for some time. My father is responsible for growing that massive tomato. He's got a great knack for growing tomatoes (he passed that gene onto my sister) and every year he gives me tomatoes like this and I have a heart attack because it's enough to feed a small village. Ok, maybe a hamlet but still!

It's tomato sandwiches and salsa and greek salad for a long time afterwards.

Gosh, I miss homegrown tomatoes. The store bought ones, they just never taste the same at all.

...

In other news, remember I blogged the other day about not using tomato paste in regards to the red lentil dhal recipe. I never buy cans because then I just end up wasting it when I just need a small amount. One reader of mine offered up a solution to freeze it, yes, great idea! I do tend to freeze a lot of things for use later. Not sure why I didn't think of it in the first place.

But then I remembered you can buy it in a tube, like a toothpaste tube. I remember seeing it in a cooking show. Something like this. Another great idea.



And then yesterday, a newfound reader of mine (Hi Viktoriya!) read my blogpost and gave me this little package of tomato paste that contains about two tablespoons worth. How perfect is that! Voila! NO WASTE! Thank you so much :)

You can find tubes and the little individual packages at most little ethnic food stores. That's where I'll be headed in the near future.