This year, my culinary adventures have been deeply rooted in the world of tomatoes. From nurturing them in my garden to savoring their fresh flavors and even preserving them for later, tomatoes have been a constant source of inspiration. I dedicated time to canning a significant batch of organic tomatoes sourced from my local farmers’ market, experimenting with various canning techniques – raw packed with and without added liquid, and hot packed methods. Beyond simple canning, I also ventured into creating spicy salsa, utilizing tomatoes and jalapeños harvested straight from my backyard. There’s a unique satisfaction in having summer’s bounty stored away, especially knowing I’m avoiding concerns about BPA from conventional can linings.
This past summer marked my first real attempt at backyard gardening. With guidance from my neighbor, I established both an herb patch and a small vegetable garden. He was encouraged by the abundance of earthworms in my soil, which gave us hope that the seedlings, despite being transplanted into a less than ideal setting, might actually thrive. And they did! We enjoyed fresh tomatoes throughout the summer, though in modest quantities. It was only as the weather began to cool that my tomato vines started yielding a surprisingly large harvest, almost as if sensing the end of the season. Indeed, the arrival of frost, followed by a hard freeze in early October, signaled the close of summer and, consequently, tomato season. Faced with a generous amount of green tomatoes just before the freeze, I immediately knew what dish I wanted to create: Green Tomatoes Bhaji! The term Bhaji (pronounced “bah-gee”) is versatile in meaning, within the realm of Indian Food. It can refer to fresh vegetables themselves or to a vegetable-based side dish. This context points us towards an exciting exploration of vegetarian Indian food.
