Heirloom Tomato Anticipation

My gardening journals are nothing fancy.  Spiral-bound, wide-ruled notebooks, pages spotted with raindrops and smudged with garden soil, this stack of tattered tomes records the mundane (hand weeded peanut row) and the exciting (hawk swooped by, trying to catch a Purple Martin) events of my farm workdays.  Occasionally, I flip back through a previous year's notes to compare planting dates, crop yield or weather.  Although some days I forget to write a note or two, I always, without fail, record the first ripe heirloom tomatoes I harvest.

Spiral-bound notebooks are my gardening journals

Last year, I picked a nice Great White on July 17th.  With a smooth creamy skin and slightly garlicky flavor, this tomato makes a delicious sandwich and its size can easily dwarf a slice of bread.  After celebrating the first harvest with candles and a place of honor, Richard and I savored the fruit of our labor.  

Harvesting a Great White, cause for celebration in 2014

It looks as if this year's tomato season will begin later than usual, but the plants look healthy and are holding numerous green fruits.  Each day, we remove tomato horn worms, add more plant supports, trim unnecessary leaves and search, hoping to spot the first color change that will indicate summer's delectable love apples are on the way.  

Tomato hornworms love heirlooms as much as we do

Mid-September will probably bring the typical madness of harvesting, sorting, washing and endless processing, but for now, tomato season is an entrancing mirage, a bright ray of rewarding deliciousness for all those months of work.  

Summer harvest from a single day

For those of you fortunate enough to hold your first home-grown tomatoes in your hand, warm from the sun and beckoning you to take a bite, I admit envy, but will, hopefully, soon join you in celebrating the harvest.  As I gather recipes and dream, I offer the following suggestion for cherry tomatoes.  For a beautiful presentation, be sure to use a variety of colors.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
In a medium saucepan, heat 2/3 cup dry red wine and 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar.  Simmer over low/medium heat until the mixture is reduced by 1/2, about 20-30 minutes.  Remove from heat.

In a medium-sized glass baking dish, drizzle about 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add 2 pints cherry tomatoes and sprinkle them with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Stir to coat the tomatoes with the oil.  Pour the wine/vinegar mixture over tomatoes and stir to combine.  Scatter fresh thyme leaves over tomatoes.

Place dish in a preheated, 400 degree, oven and roast for about 20 -30 minutes, or until tomatoes begin to collapse.  *Stir once, halfway through roasting time.

Remove from oven and sprinkle about 2 tablespoons fresh shredded basil leaves over the tomatoes.  Serve warm or chill to add to cold salad.  

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes