Steemit Fruits and Veggies Monday - Minted Marinated Tomatoes & Din-Dins
Ain't they gorgeous?
Ain't they sweet?
Way too cute to hide away outta sight.
So I'm still all lyrical about Tomatoes this week after last week's A Tale of Tomato Trio!
We're blessed with an abundance of fresh produce year round here in sunny South Africa and many of us take it for granted that most countries around the world have access to the same, but of course that sadly is not the case!
There are many self-help projects dotted all over our country with NGO's and private individuals trying to teach people how to grow their own food.
Some urban dwellers have even started growing veggies on sidewalks so that people passing by can help themselves. This is such a brilliant idea; flowers are pretty of course but in a world where many people are starving it makes more sense to plant edible plants wherever space allows - this passes the message on to everyone that they can also grow their own food even if they only have a tiny patch of land or just a small balcony!
We've planted Mango and Avocado trees on the embankment across the road from our property; this is at the back of a school for physically disabled children. These trees should start bearing fruit in a couple of years from now, hopefully we're still here to see it!
The photo below has such an inspirational story behind it and I will quote from Good Things Guy
Heidelberg, South Africa – Johan Scott, a retired policeman from Heidelberg, South Africa started the vegetable garden on his pavement after his cauliflower was stolen. He realised that there were people that are hungry in his neighbourhood, so he decided to cultivate an even bigger garden on his pavement to feed more people.
“It makes my heart happy when I see people eating my vegetables. That is why I planted this, because the people are hungry, they need this.”
Scott decided to plant beans, tomatoes, eggplants and beetroot for the local community to help themselves to free produce. He hoped that this garden would change how many hungry people there are in his town.
Source
Back here at home I've been trying to grow my own baby plum tomatoes and thought the monkeys that troop through our garden daily were only interested in our papayas and other veggies, but they've now discovered that these little beauties are really delicious, clever little rascals that they are!
Monkey-proofing plans will have to be implemented very soon or else we'll have no veggies to speak of!
See the one at the back popping a whole baby plum tomato in his mouth!
On to the food - this week I will share Minted Marinated Tomatoes with all my Fruits and Veggies Monday friends.
I will also tell you how to make a super simple tasty Tomato & Basil Pasta that can be thrown together in under half an hour, especially nice when you've over-indulged on way too many rich foods and want something simple but still tasty. The kids always love this for din-dins:)
MINTED MARINATED BABY TOMATOES
- Baby Tomatoes - halved
- Fresh Mint - some chopped and some left whole
- White Balsamic Vinegar
- Maple Syrup - not too much
- Salt & whole Peppercorns
Place tomatoes into a glass bottle, mix dressing ingredients and pour over tomatoes.
Top with whole Mint leaves and seal bottle
Marinade for a couple of hours before using in salads or enjoy as a side with a meal.
Note:
You can replace the Mint with fresh Basil
SUPER SIMPLE TOMATO PASTA SHELLS
- Onions - diced
- Garlic - crushed
- Tomatoes - diced
- Fresh Sweet Basil
- Pasta Shells - cooked al dente
Sauteé Onions & Garlic in Olive Oil
Add Tomatoes and Basil, season to taste and cook till soft
Toss with pasta shells and enjoy a simple meal in a jiffy
And as always, a quick look for all our busy people -
We're all ready to sit down to another wonderful medley of offerings for Steemit Fruits & Veggies Monday hosted by our gracious hostess @lenasveganliving.
A huge shout out to Lena as well as the lovely @plantstoplanks and @vegansofsteemit for the generous weekly prizes of SBI shares, much appreciated by all of us I'm sure!
Not forgetting a big thank you to the wonderfully talented artist @barbara-orenya, the creator of our lovely Wonkies and all the generous curators who brighten up our Mondays!
You are all amazing!
Connecting the people of #STEEM across South Africa. #steemsa
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What a wonderful story my Dear Lizelle! That man is a great example of what kind of society we should be striving for. And those monkeys are priceless, but unfortunately, they know no measure, lol. Oh my gosh, what are you going to do about them??? You know there are my favorite tomatoes too and I have to pay big dollars for them, because I don't have a garden. And even if I do, we have winter here for 6 months, lol. Also, those recipes are magnificent, just the way i like it. YUM 🍅🌿🍅
What a pity you have to pay so dearly for tomatoes which we take for granted here! Appreciate your lovely comments Lena, thank you so much for the contest!
Oh my word, I could eat these marinated tomatoes all day long @lizelle, YUM! I am so excited to see what happens with the trees you have planted behind the school! Wouldn't it be wonderful to have the children enjoy the avo's and mangoes :) Truly a blessing. Love the community garden concept, I wish we could garden like that in our area. Beautiful post my friend.
We really hope we're still here when those trees start bearing before we move away, that's if we do move away still;) I will write a post about them one of these days. Thank you for your wonderful comments my friend!
CONGRATULATIONS TO YOUR STAR AWARD DEAR Lizelle, for this highly curated entry with exceptional quality content. Keep up the great job 😊
And thank you Lena for the encouragement each week! How long has FAVM been going? Wonderful that you're still giving us this opportunity:)
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It's been about two years Lizelle and it's my pleasure. How could I stop when all you guys doing such a great job 🥑😍🍓
That's quite a feat Lena!
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We are Veggie Family and thank you so much for the tip Lizelle 🍑💚🍅
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Oh those rascals! The critters need their share, too, but they're not always so kind about leaving enough for everyone else, are they? ;) What a lovely gesture to plant enough for the neighborhood, as well! I've often joked with my boyfriend about how we just need to turn the whole front yard into a garden. I would love to be able to have enough to share with everyone, as well. It's a good goal to work towards! You've got me craving tomatoes again this week. :)
They're really naughty but then we're taking over their natural habitat aren't we? We have so much fun watching them, never get tired of it;) I was thinking of you when I looked at these tomatoes, sorry I can't send some your way!
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Yes you are lucky to have those veggies year round! The recipes looks great and I'm going to give them both a go. Love the "quick look" for the busy folk, even though I am a thorough reader and don't need it.
Great post!
Thank you @owasco, really appreciate your wonderful comments!
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Hi @lizelle, thanks for sharing the way to prepare tomato pasta sauce. 👍 I feel like to do this tomorrow..
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It really tastes so much nicer wgen you make your own, I always add a tiny bit if sweetener to it as well as the usual salt & pepper, thanks for stopping by!
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Those ones in the first shot are so colorful, I do love tomatoes but they do not love me I come out in a rash if I eat them so I never do these days
Gosh that's bad, can you at least eat them when they're cooked like in tomato ketchup? Thanks for popping in @tattoodjay:)
Yes Ketchup I can have and some tomatoes soups, but not fresh or even only lightly cooked in a sauce