TOMATO DAYS

When I was a little girl in Russia I remember having a love for a plain and pure tomato. Well actually it was tomato with salt. Russians must love their salt because there is nothing like tasting a beautifully ripe tomato sprinkled with a little salt. As summer is coming to a close the tomatoes here in Portland are finally starting to ripen. Today I stepped outside to find the vines sprinkled with red, orange and yellow tomatoes of varying shapes and sizes. I ate two heirlooms and a handful of sun gold and sweet 100's before lunch. YUM. The hardest thing about planting tomatoes is picking which variety you want and then staggering the various kinds in such a way that you have an abundance of tomatoes throughout the season. Aside from picking the usual suspects it is wise to get adventurous and try out purple, black and even white heirlooms. Each has a unique acidity that adds a great assortment of color to salads and other dishes. 

There were of course other things in the garden today but I was neglecting them because my focus was on gathering as many tomatoes as I could. My neighbor Molly just informed me that you can freeze tomatoes whole for the winter. I've never tried that but that might be something to do this weekend.