Fried Green Tomatoes... It's What's For Supper... :)

There is one thing for sure.. there is nothing like some great southern home cooking. With our garden in full bloom and the tomatoes getting ripe, it was just too hard to not pick some green tomatoes and fry them up for supper. They are absolutely delicious and go well with about any other vegetable, casserole, or meat. I love to slice them thinly, and then place them in a cool bowl of water and add some seasonings. Let them sit in the refrigerator for a few hours or even over night. When you are ready to fry them up, just batter them and drop in them in a deep fryer or fry in a iron skillet. I love to pair them with fried squash, peas, and cornbread. Absolutely delicious and everyone loves them, which means of course, I have to fix much larger batches of them for supper.. lol They're so great that even our indoor pets love them too... yes we spoil our pets too, they are truly southern as well.

I don't think that I have ever found anything that comes close to freshly fried green tomatoes... well.. I'm a true vegetable lover and everything that we raise from the garden is always my favorite... so shhhhh, please don't ask me to pick just one as a favorite. Since green tomatoes are not always in season and we love them year-round, I will often prepare some for the freezer. I prepare them by doing them the same way as I normally would for frying them, with the only exception that after I have battered them up, I lay them out plat on cookie sheets and then place the sheets in the freezer. After a couple of hours, I will take them from the sheets and add them to zip-lock bags that have a light amount of the seasoned flour inside to prevent any sticking together. Then add them back to the freezer for later use, during the colder months for when you want a fresh piece of summer, long after the warm weather has went into hibernation... lol I also do the same with freshly picked squash.... so since these are a favorite around here, I have to put a lot of these little babies up. I also have taken green tomatoes and cubed them and added them with other fresh vegetables from the garden for a quick stir-fry.

I will also put up some of the stir-fry in the freezer as well and it goes great with rice, mashed potatoes, or anything almost. Home-made stir-fry is also something else that I fix that goes fast.. lol It's always a crowd pleaser plus it's a great way to fix dinner when you're pinched on options, time, or both. Making stir-fry is also a great way to get your kids in the kitchen and encourage them to be creative with recipes. There are so many wonderful things that you can make and cook using fresh vegetables. I have been an avid gardener for many, many years and so gardening, cooking, and canning is right up my alley. I love to find new ways to live off the land and make use of things that we have available. With times hard like they are now, I think that learning to make use of whatever you have on hand is key to surviving and staying afloat these days. I'm just glad that we don't have any picky eaters, which also makes for making meals and cooking so much easier.

Since I love writing and have so many interests that can be tied knit together somehow, I'm pretty sure that I will write about lots of other interesting topics. I will write another article with some helpful hints and even include some of our favorite recipes that I have created. I really enjoy preparing for winter time and anytime. I'm in the kitchen 90% of the time and when I'm canning, I'm in there for most of the day or night. I love how gardening can open the door for so many other things... it's also an educational experience. Take care and have an awesome day!! Until next post.... May God bless!!