Tomato season is in full swing, and it’s time for some great tomato recipes!

Growing tomatoes is one of my favorite parts of the summer season. I feel like I start planning my garden for the next year, as soon as the previous year is done! Every year I try to grow different types of tomatoes. Learning about all of the different varieties of heirloom tomatoes is so great! This year I really focused on purple, and orange tomatoes in our garden as well as “tiny tomatoes” like the Spoon Tomatoes! We also decided for the second year in a row to grow our garden in 5 gallon buckets. What started as an activity during the wild 2020 year, turned into our favorite way of gardening! Super easy, no bugs, and controlled natural fertilizing, need I say more?

Every year I say I won’t grow too much in the garden, just enough to feed the Woodsman and I. Fast forward to mid-July when all the tomatoes start to ripen. Eek, I over-planted again! No worries though, I love to try different recipes and ways to preserve my harvest. Whether it’s canning, drying, or fresh eating, it’s all wonderful!

Marinated tomatoes are the perfect way to use up some of the extra tomatoes in your garden, especially cherry tomatoes. This recipe is quick, easy, and won’t take much time at all!

Start by first cutting your cherry tomatoes in half. I like to use cherry tomatoes, but feel free to use larger tomatoes cut into slices.

Next, you will need to mix up your marinade. There are a ton of different recipes out there for marinated tomatoes. My recipe is a little more on the sweeter side, but feel free to experiment with this recipe and come up with the perfect recipe for your taste. You simply need to whisk together the olive oil, minced garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, maple sugar (the secret ingredient!), and chopped basil. Pour over your tomatoes, and you are done! You can enjoy your marinated tomatoes right away or allow them to “marinate” for a few hours to really give the tomatoes a flavor boost. Tomatoes can marinate for up to 2 days, but after that, the tomatoes tend to get soft. Your marinated tomatoes won’t last that long, trust me!

This recipe could not be easier, and tastes amazing! Add some fresh mozzarella to your marinated tomatoes and you have a super easy, extremely delicious summer salad. Put some of your marinated tomatoes on some crostini for a take on Bruschetta. The possibilities are endless! Happy Summer!