What to do with all those ripe Tomatoes you are about to start picking or are already picking!  Our Tomatoes have started to ripen a little early this year and so it is time to start using them.  Sunday for lunch I made a beautiful BLT with one of our Red Beefsteaks and Monday night for dinner I made a fantastic pizza with fresh red and yellow Tomatoes.

Making the BLT was pretty simple, but making Pizza with fresh Tomatoes takes a little bit of extra work (well worth it!)  Fresh Tomatoes when ripe, can be very juicy.  While juiciness is good when you are eating Tomatoes out of Hand, it is not good when they are used in baked goods as the Tomato Juice will make the Crust soggy.

So, in order to avoid a soggy Pizza, I first peeled the Tomatoes https://www.sylveeeskitchen.com/cooking-tidbits/peeling-tomatoes/ and then I sliced them and placed them in a colander to drain.  Salting them slightly will help to remove the excess liquid faster, but be careful with that salt!

Listed below are the steps involved in making the Pizza so that it will be tasty and not soggy.

1. Stretch and shape the Dough onto your pan or peel.
2. I applied a layer of chopped Basil combined with Olive Oil, fresh Oregano
3. Next comes a layer of shredded Parmesan Cheese and then a layer of shredded Mozzarella Cheese.

1. On top of the Cheese went the Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives and a Meat Product such as Pepperoni, if desired.
2. Bake the Pizza in your usual way (I use a pizza stone heated for at least half an hour at 500 degrees)
3. Time of baking will vary per the method you are using;  in my oven with the pizza stone I interrupted the baking and added diced Bell Peppers (red ones), sliced Shitake Mushrooms and diced sweet Onions.  (The reason I add these items later is so that they will not have a chance to loose much of their water and thus prevent the Pizza from becoming soggy.