Sunday, August 27, 2006

Nothin' like a Jersey tomato


Is there anything sweeter than a Jersey tomato warm from the garden? Add just a little salt and pepper and you've served up perfection. My brothers and I used to eat them standing out in the garden, like an apple, when we were kids. Do NJ tomatoes have a reputation anywhere outside of NJ?

I never got around to cooking a proper Sunday dinner tonight; having spent most of the afternoon in front of the televison, which I almost never do. Instead I put together a salad of fresh mozzarella, basil from the garden, and heirloom tomatoes that I picked up yesterday at the farmer's market. Just a drizzle of dressing made it perfect and delicious!

Michelle blogged today about tomato sandwiches (just add white bread, mayonaise, and salt+pepper) and Hanna at This Garden is Illegal has been blogging about fancy tomatoes for a week or so. It seems that many of us are rejoicing at the ripening of this good garden food. I'd love to hear your favorite way of eating a tomato. Share a recipe if you'd like. I have one that I'm eager to try - pasta, grape tomatoes, and goat cheese - sounds yummy!

9 comments:

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

Mmmm! My dad always keeps a garden, but now that he lives out in NM, I don't get to enjoy his fresh tomatoes. I sure miss garden tomatoes-- they're the best!

New bunny pic posted on my blog, btw. :-)

silverlight said...

Hmmm. Fresh warm tomato from a home grown garden. Just little salt, pure heaven. Yumm, yummy.
My aunt had a huge garden,( but, she had 12 kids,) we used to buy some from her once or twice. They were the only vegetables I could eat.
***
thank you for reading my blog.

Anonymous said...

That looks so good Laura, I have never used mozzarella with tomatoes. Will have to try it.

I like mine with fresh ground black pepper. Or sometimes when I am out in the garden, just plain cherry tomatoes, right off the vine.

One thing though, it is not a good idea to put cherry tomatoes in your jeans pocket, thinking you will remember them when you go indoors!!

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

We love the tomato salad you picture. I spread the tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella in a circle, barely overlapping, and then drizzle on balsamic vinegar. Yummmmm!

Anonymous said...

Fresh tomato sliced, fresh mozarella sliced on top, add fresh basil, a sprinkle of a high quality extra virgin olive oil, a dash of salt and pepper, and a pinch of oregano. Served with warm Italian bread. Perfect summer lunch or light dinner.

When we were kids and we'd harvested all of the tomatoes we could possibly eat, can, freeze, or sell, we had rotten tomato fights with the rest!

Michelle said...

Oh sure, I post simple tomato sandwich and you have to go get fancy :)) I will have to try your salad - Do you think Chopper and Tink will let me have some of their Basil?

Yes - tomatoes off the vine with salt eaten like an apple - delicious.

Never had goat cheese. I will have to think about that one *wink*

LauraHinNJ said...

Thanks for the bunny pic, bunnygirl. Congrats on the new camera! What kind is it?

Silverlight: I enjoy your blog! Makes me wish I had more time to spend making things. I can *craft* vicariously, though!

I can't imagine you never tried the two together, Sandy! So yummy, but the mozzarella has to be fresh and soft at room temperature. Mmmmm good! So far all we have are cherry and grape tomatoes and most of them don't even make it into the house! Reminder to self: eat them, don't stash them to find on laundry day.

LauraHinNJ said...

There's a type of tomato I tried once - wonder if anyone knows it? The fruit is tiny like a raisin - perfect for snacking in the garden!

Lynne: I fix it that way too, but this pic looked so delicious I couldn't resist posting it!

Laura: Yep - all we needed was the bread yesterday.

It's so funny that you mention rotten tomato fights. I wrote a bit about that in my post yesterday, but then deleted it because I didn't want people to think I was some kind of juvenille delinquent! We used to do the same thing as kids - hurling them at the kids up the street. You weren't one of those kids, were you?

;-)

Don't be scared of goat cheese Michelle! It's really creamy and soft and mild! I love it with pasta - it melts just the right amount when served over warm pasta - it's not stringy like mozzarella. Anyway, with tomatoes I think simple is best, so long as they're tasty and not those hard winter tomatoes from the supermarket. Hate them.

You all are making me hungry!

LauraHinNJ said...

Looks yummy dkm! What else is in that roating pan besides tomatoes?