Tomatoes + Kids = Soup, Sauce and Fun

Enlist your kids to crush ripe, juicy, summer tomatoes for these five summery recipes—they'll have a blast.

The school year is underway with a flurry of new class schedules, soccer practice and Friday-night football games. So while you’re angsting over backpacks, overpriced books and uniforms (or, as in my case, $200 in cleats and football pads), something seasonal and comforting will surely hit the spot at dinnertime.

Fresh tomatoes are a late song of summer. To capture that rich, fresh flavor, get your kids to pitch in and have some fun while they’re at it. To get started, all you need are little hands on deck (washed, please), a big bowl and some super ripe, juicy garden tomatoes (washed too, please). Tell the kids to squeeze and mash the tomatoes into the bowl. In no time flat, you’ll have the makings for a delicious sauce or soup.

Parents:
Grab some very ripe, juicy tomatoes ready to burst. Wash and core them. Place in a very, very large bowl and set your kids up in a place that can get a tad messy—a porch is great. Then stand back. The tomatoes have a tendency to squirt juice for miles.

Kids (here's a time you can legitimately play with your food):
Roll up your sleeves and wash your hands. OK, now wash your hands again. Go outside with your bowl of tomatoes and start squishing them with your hands. Squish them until they're like chunky soup.

—Jill Melton, Editor