When the tomato harvesting season comes, we all will get fresh fruits to make our delicious dishes or eat raw. Have you ever wondered if those chopped-off leaves could be put to good use? Check out 8 Amazing Tomato Leaf Uses so that you can use those leaves both in the kitchen and in the gardening work.
The use of tomato leaves gets rid of diseases and pests easily. They also are great materials to boost nitrogen and contribute to a thriving and nutrient-rich compost pile the acidic nectar of its manure is applied as a compost starter. What’s better, tomato leaves are edible and you can use them as ingredients for daily meals, and even make tea. Keep reading to find out more about using tomato leaves.
#1 Make Tomato Leaf Pesto
Source: Lisaiscooking
Fresh tomato leaves have an earthy taste with a slight bitterness making them a great addition to pesto. You can use them to make your favorite dishes when harvesting them.
#2 Use for Garnishing
Source: Quarantine-cuisine
For stews and meaty dishes, tomato leaves have a pungent flavor that is a wonderful addition. They are similar in use to dried herb leaves, then sprinkled in to increase the depth of flavor.
#3 Make Pasta
Source: Reddit
It’s great to enjoy a bowl of fresh, homemade, and hand-rolled pasta. Both flavors and texture are better than buying the store-bought stuff! To have a fresh green look, simply add a handful of tomato leaves to your recipe, then top with freshly roasted tomato sauce.
#4 Make Tea
Source: Gardenbetty
If you love making homemade tea, consider adding dried tomato leaves. Tomato leaf tea isn’t common to use but it is possible, you can use fresh or dried leaves. Like other leafy green teas, tomato leaf tea has a pleasant earthiness to it.
#5 Tomato Leaf and Mint Sauce
Source: Seriouseats
Tomato sauce is a staple in any recipe from pasta, bread to delicious snacks. If you want to make your homemade tomato sauce taste more like tomatoes, add a couple of fresh tomato leaves, instead of using the fresh flavors of mint leaves.
#6 Add to Compost
Source: Ediblecommunities
When the harvesting season comes, you can take advantage of tomato leaves for the compost pile. They are great materials to boost nitrogen and contribute to a thriving and nutrient-rich compost pile. As tomatoes are highly prone to diseases, so you are sure your tomato leaves are disease-free to add to the compost.
#7 Black Spot Spray
Source: Todayshomeowner
Black Spot is a common disease on rose plants causing yellowing and defoliation, it makes your plants weaken roses and ruins their appearance. There are some natural ways to control this common disease, including a tomato leaf spray. Thanks to compounds in tomato leaves, they offer some protection against this fungal disease.
#8 Control Aphid
Source: Thompson-morgan
Aphids are one of the most common pests, they have a rapid reproduction and spread. They can quickly decimate entire your crops if not controlled quickly. To control aphids in your garden, you can use your left-over tomato leaves, then make your own aphid insecticide spray.
