Fire & Ice Tomatoes

Now here's a taste I grew up enjoying.

Bobby tells me the farmer's market will soon have the last round of ripe tomatoes before the fall crop ends. I can't wait, it has been a while due to the heat and humidity here that we have enjoyed fresh, homegrown tomatoes. Maybe I'll get some green ones in the mean time and fix up a batch of My Green Fried Tomatoes.

Until the ripe ones come back around, I'm starting to crave this recipe from my hometown.

Fire & Ice Tomatoes

Greenville version


3/4 cup vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seed
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon black pepper
4 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup water

Heat above ingredients over medium heat for a couple of minutes. In a large bowl layer the following:

6 fresh tomatoes peeled & quartered or sliced
1 bell pepper cut into bite size pieces
1 large onion sliced in rings
1 cucumber thinly sliced -optional

Pour the hot marinade over the vegetables, let cool and refrigerate for several hours. Drain vegetables from the liquid before serving.

Many folks add cucumbers and that's okay. We normally do not.

From my cookbook Grits to Guacamole