oh, heck, I don't core and seed either. The great thing about doing this with cherry toms is that it is NOT a huge, long job --- I take 15 minutes to slice up a batch (2 cookie trays' worth or so), put 'em in the oven, and by the time I go to bed they're done. Now, the one pain with some cherry toms is that they're not all the same size by a long shot, so some dry faster than others. (Depends on the variety; Black Cherry or Galinas [my fave] or Dr. Carolyn [also lovely --- I think it is derived from Galinas] will be mostly about the same size, but Sweet 100 or Sungold grow in trusses with bigger at one end and smaller at the other.) SO if I have those kinds in there, what I end up doing is checking every half hour or so, and quickly picking out those that are done. Now that I can spot the done ones easily, this takes no more than a minute or so. What do I use them for? I put them in pasta dishes or in salads most often. I also blend them up in dips or salad dressing. Or I eat them for a snack. The Sungolds, especially, are SO sweet when dried, they are almost like little raisins or figs. I used some once, in fact, in a roasted pork recipe that called for dried figs or apricots --- it was VERY yummy. No prep at all is needed to use them; just take 'em out of the ziploc baggies in the freezer. They defrost within a short time at room temp because they are so small, and they don't need chopping. Often recipes that call for sundried tomatoes will assume you have bought them in a jar packed in olive oil, and will tell you to drain them first. Sometimes the recipe calls for using some of the leftover tomato-y oil, in which case with the home-dried ones you have to add olive oil separately. I like hte idea of grinding some up into a tomato paste substitute, will have to try that! Have done it with dried hot peppers but not yet with toms. Looks like I will have a BIG tomato harvest this year --- the plants are a jungle already --- so woo hoo! Zabby

A fresh tomato in a sauce will be a bit watery, unless its cooked a while first. You know, that if you make a fresh sauce it never tastes as good as one that was made yesterday. Sometimes I make pizza with sliced fresh tomatoes, and coat the dough with olive oil before adding the sliced tomatoes. Because many are watery, I usually slice and place on some paper towels, and add a sprinkling of salt to draw out some liquid before they get placed on the pizza.

Here is one that Maryel posted on another forum a few weeks ago. I have made it twice and we love it. It is really so simple to make. Tarte Tatin á la Tomate Tomato Tatin from Chocolate & Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen by Clotilde Dusoulier As someone who cherishes words just as much as food, christening my dishes is an important part of my cooking pleasure. I like to make sure that the name is simple although I occasionally lapse into fancy restaurant style just for the fun of it and that it hints at the composition but retains an element of fun or mystery. One of the naming tricks I favor is using a dessert name for a savory course, and vice versa. It gives the dish a playful persona, and points out the many bridges that can be crossed between the sweet and the savory. Pâte Brisée; alternatively, you can use a sheet of uncooked store-bought puff pastry, thawed according to package instructions if frozen. FOR THE FILLING Extra virgin olive oil 2 pounds Roma or plum tomatoes (substitute any other firm and not too juicy variety) Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper Herbes de Provence (or a mix of dried rosemary, basil, oregano, and thyme) 1/4 cup black olive tapenade, store-bought or homemade 6 ounces fresh goat cheese 1/3 cup (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves Serves 8 as a starter, 4 as a main course. Chilling time: 30 minutes for the dough This tomato tart is a glorious example: the tomatoes are topped with goat cheese and tapenade and cooked under a layer of pastry in classic tarte tatin fashion. This allows the filling to bake softly without drying out, and provides a bit of an adrenaline thrill when you have to flip the tart on a serving platter dont worry, it will slip right out. 1. Prepare the Pâte Brisée. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to a day. 2. Preheat the oven to 350̊F and grease a 10-inch ceramic quiche pan with 1 teaspoon olive oil. 3. Halve the tomatoes lengthwise and core them. Run your thumb in the hollows of the tomatoes to remove the juice and seeds. Arrange in the pan, skin side down, in a circular pattern. You can crowd them a little; they will shrink as they bake. Season with salt, pepper, herbs, and a good drizzle of olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes, until softened. Remove from the oven (leave the heat on). 4. Remove the dough from the fridge and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough in an 11-inch circle and prick all over with a fork. Spread with tapenade, leaving a 1-inch margin all around. 5. Cut the cheese in 1/3-inch slices and arrange over the tomatoes in the pan. Lay the dough, tapenade side down, on the cheese, and tuck in the overhanging flaps of dough. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the crust is golden. 6. Let cool for a few minutes on a rack. Run a knife around the crust to loosen. Put on your best-looking oven mitts, cover the pan with an overturned serving plate, and flip the whole thing carefully. If some of the tomatoes stick to the bottom of the pan, just place them back on the tart where they belong. Serve warm or at room temperature. Just before serving, snip or tear the basil leaves and sprinkle over the tart. VARIATIONS: Instead of tapenade, spread the dough with onion confit, anchovy paste, or pesto. Instead of goat cheese, use slices of buffalo mozzarella, drained and patted dry with paper towels.

I've never heard of either of those Amy, but Glenn thinks they're worth saving, so maybe they'll be good ones. Kim, Every time I look in my seed box, I either find stuff I didn't know I had, or I can't find stuff I know I do have. Both situations drive me crazy. Usually when I am missing a packet that I'm sure I had, it is just mixed in with some other seed category. There have been years I've ordered two packets of the same seed from different suppliers because I forgot I already had ordered it once. Dawn