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Monday, November 3, 2014

#COOKING WITH CLORIS--MARINATED TOMATO SALAD

This year my tomato crop (all of two plants) was the best it’s ever been. I finally outsmarted the squirrels. All summer they’ve kept away from my tomatoes. In years past I’d tried ever remedy I could find in the gardening center. None worked. Then I started hearing commercials on the radio for trash bags that repelled rodents. They were infused with mint. Rodents, apparently, can’t stand the smell of the stuff. So they stay away from your trash when you set it out on the curb for pick-up.

This got me thinking. Squirrels are rodents. What if I planted some mint around my tomato plants? Would it keep them from stealing my green tomatoes, taking a bite, then tossing the tomatoes to the ground? It was worth a try. And I’m here to tell you it worked.

So I have a bumper crop of tomatoes and tried all sorts of tomato recipes like this quick and easy one. 

Marinated Tomato Salad

Ingredients:
4 large tomatoes
8 oz. pearl mozzarella
1 baby zucchini
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. honey
1 T. honey Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dill
1 T. dried minced onion

Cut up tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Slice zucchini into thin circles. Place vegetables in bowl. Add mozzarella.

In another bowl whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour over vegetables and mozzarella. Cover and chill for at least two hours before serving. 

9 comments:

Judy Penz Sheluk said...

This looks so yummy and easy to make. Printing off recipe!

ANASTASIA POLLACK said...

Extremely simple to make, Judy! And definitely yummy!

Angela Adams said...

This looks and sounds delicious! Thanks for the recipe!!

ANASTASIA POLLACK said...

Thanks for stopping by, Angela!

Kath said...

The recipe, not to mention the photo-WOw!, look scrumptious!

BUT THANK You for the mint hint! We tried raising tomatoes inside the screened porch (fail) this year to defeat the tomato marauders. WE'll try mint next year!!!

ANASTASIA POLLACK said...

Kath, the one thing you have to be prepared for is how fast mint spreads. It's fairly invasive. So you have to keep it in check. Just pull it up when it begins to spread too much. You can try growing it in pots that you set around the tomatoes, but then you have to remember to water them more often than you would your tomato plants. I'd forget.

The nice thing is that mint is a perennial, so you don't have to buy new plants every year.

Kath said...

Thank you again! So we'll have to start gulping down mint juleps?

ANASTASIA POLLACK said...

LOL! Would that be such a bad thing?

Julie said...

I can hardly wait to try this salad. Great tip about the squirrels being repelled by mint. The little cuties are constantly throwing my flowers out of their pots.