This year my tomato crop (all of two plants) was the
best it’s ever been. I finally outsmarted the squirrels. All summer they’ve
kept away from my tomatoes. In years past I’d tried ever remedy I could find in
the gardening center. None worked. Then I started hearing commercials on the
radio for trash bags that repelled rodents. They were infused with mint.
Rodents, apparently, can’t stand the smell of the stuff. So they stay away from
your trash when you set it out on the curb for pick-up.
This got me thinking. Squirrels are rodents. What if
I planted some mint around my tomato plants? Would it keep them from stealing
my green tomatoes, taking a bite, then tossing the tomatoes to the ground? It
was worth a try. And I’m here to tell you it worked.
So I have a bumper crop of tomatoes and tried all sorts of tomato recipes like this quick and easy one.
Marinated
Tomato Salad
Ingredients:
4 large tomatoes
8 oz. pearl mozzarella
1 baby zucchini
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. honey
1 T. honey Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dill
1 T. dried minced onion
Cut up tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Slice
zucchini into thin circles. Place vegetables in bowl. Add mozzarella.
In another bowl whisk together remaining ingredients.
Pour over vegetables and mozzarella. Cover and chill for at least two hours
before serving.
This looks so yummy and easy to make. Printing off recipe!
ReplyDeleteExtremely simple to make, Judy! And definitely yummy!
ReplyDeleteThis looks and sounds delicious! Thanks for the recipe!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Angela!
ReplyDeleteThe recipe, not to mention the photo-WOw!, look scrumptious!
ReplyDeleteBUT THANK You for the mint hint! We tried raising tomatoes inside the screened porch (fail) this year to defeat the tomato marauders. WE'll try mint next year!!!
Kath, the one thing you have to be prepared for is how fast mint spreads. It's fairly invasive. So you have to keep it in check. Just pull it up when it begins to spread too much. You can try growing it in pots that you set around the tomatoes, but then you have to remember to water them more often than you would your tomato plants. I'd forget.
ReplyDeleteThe nice thing is that mint is a perennial, so you don't have to buy new plants every year.
Thank you again! So we'll have to start gulping down mint juleps?
ReplyDeleteLOL! Would that be such a bad thing?
ReplyDeleteI can hardly wait to try this salad. Great tip about the squirrels being repelled by mint. The little cuties are constantly throwing my flowers out of their pots.
ReplyDelete