Man’s Red Flower aka Lotus Flower Tomatoes

I watched several different videos trying to find the easiest way to make some tomato flowers. I have embedded my favorite video below. Please keep in mind that I had never done this before this post, so if I can do it, you can too!

Here’s a few tips and tricks I picked up with my experimentation.

Buy a few extra tomatoes. Until you get the hang of it, you may mess up a few. I think it took until my 3rd tomato to get it right, although it was the first tomato using the method in the video above.
Use a sharp knife! Be very cautious, but make sure you have a sharp knife for the best results.
Use a sawing motion or a serrated knife. Tomatoes are so delicate that using a lot of force will end up in a crushed tomato. Been there, done that!
I found it easiest to slice the skin away before I made cuts to make the petals deeper. When I made deep petals first, I kept crushing the flesh of the tomato when I was trying to peel the skin back. I think it goes back to having a sharp knife.
It’s OK to mess up a few, they still taste delicious! I wish I had taken pictures of my mess-ups to show you. Keep at it, you’ll get it!

So this recipe is super simple, it’s really more about the idea and the presentation. I used store bought pesto because it was more cost effective than the ingredients for the pesto. I need to get my garden going and grow my own basil again!