A few years back there was a tomato scare in California. For some reason this didn't stop us from buying tomatoes. I believe there wasn't even any foundation on what the scare was. It's a distant memory.
We love tomatoes. Believe me this is not how it always was. I use to HATE them, passionately. But taste buds change and we make lots of Bruschetta with tomatoes these days. I use to work right next to a farmers market and every Wednesday morning I would go down and buy what ever was in season. This was how I got turned on to Heirloom Tomatoes.
SB loves heirloom tomatoes so we got the great idea of taking a big terracotta pot on our 3x9 balcony and growing our own tomatoes. I of course like the romance of planting the seed and watching it grow. Comes from my grandmother's green thumb and letting me plant my own radish garden in her vast yard as a child. Incidentally I don't really like radishes either but I loved this project with grandma. So to make this long story longer, I bought two packets of Heirloom tomato seeds, Cherokee and Brandywines, and I planted them in the pot.
The packet said in 8 weeks we'd have some shoots, well more than 8 weeks went by and not a glimmer of anything. So I put the seeds in a little bit of water and put them on the window seal.
Eventually these little roots grew and I planted these seeds. Finally shoots appeared. Did I tell you we only have a 3x9 apartment patio. Well our friend gave us an Earthbox that you supposedly can grow anything in. SB nurtured this box and we had a Jack and the Giant Tomato Stalk...only NO tomatoes. When any appeared the bugs got to it. I think we eventually got ONE good tomato out of all that effort. We sliced, salted, olive oiled and ate it, all in one bite. That was the end of our tomato garden. I think we'll wait for that Farm we dream of, that way SB can get his chickens too.
In the meantime, I make weekly walks to the local farmers market and gather whatever is in season. I gathered these luscious heirloom tomatoes, in every color available.
This is the easiest recipe for fresh tomatoes. All you need is basil, tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, olive oil, salt, and balsamic vinegar.
Ingredients & Directions:
Heirloom tomatoes (slice)
Salt
Olive Oil (make sure it's quality oil and drizzle it over the tomatoes)
Buffalo Mozzarella (slice and intersperse with the tomatoes)
Basil (rough chop and sprinkle on top)
Balsamic Vinegar (drizzle)
Serve with toasted crusty bread drizzled with Olive Oil and rub with a garlic clove for extra flavor. I prefer La Brea bakery bread, it just taste and toasts better.
