We have never before had a year with so many tomatoes from our two, small raised beds! Our home sits on a hill of solid rock, and in many spots there is hardly any soil, which precludes a big garden. So we limit ourselves to tomatoes and basil, belong to Woven Roots, a CSA, and frequent farmers markets for other fruits and vegetables.

This year we had a bumper crop of tomatoes, and the two of us could hardly keep up with it! We gave some to friends, ate a lot ourselves, froze many portions of purée and oven-roasted plum tomatoes, and I am still working my way through a pile of plum tomatoes, finding various canning recipes for sauces and chutneys &c. (Can’t help but sneak in an ampersand which is a ligature of ‘et’ along with ‘c.’ which stands for ‘cetera’ from the Latin ‘et cetera,’ meaning ‘and other things’!)

I’ve also been trying out some ideas with avocado and seasonal fruit, so for my Berkshire Eagle column this past week, I offered a couple of ideas on that score.

SUMMER TOMATOES

by Elizabeth Baer

A fresh summer tomato needs nothing but a whisper of salt. I could eat plate after plate of them!

However it was not always this way. I remember clearly once, as children, we were on the road and needed to stop at a fast-food restaurant. My sister and I begged that we go to the one which, at the time, was using the “Have it your way” slogan since we wanted our burgers plain. But they messed up and our burgers had tomato on them. The horror! It was not a pretty sight.

I have changed my ways, and during the summer I’m always improvising with tomatoes. Some I oven-roast which makes them taste like sun-dried tomatoes, and I keep them in the freezer to use through the winter. (Plum tomatoes, cut in half, cut side up on a foil-lined half sheet pan, with salt, pepper, thyme, garlic powder, and olive oil, in a convection oven at 300°F for 3-4 hours. In a regular oven it’ll just take longer.) Others I make into purée – both red and yellow tomatoes – and that also goes into the freezer. (Cook rough chopped tomatoes with a bit of salt over medium heat until soft; put through a food mill; return to the pot and reduce to desired consistency.)

I do know a few folks who will eat tomato sauce or tomato ketchup, but never a raw slice of tomato. On the other hand, my niece will eat a tomato as one might eat an apple! So for all those tomato aficionados out there, here are a couple of my most recent delights with tomatoes, and they are both super simple!

TOMATO, AVOCADO, & PEACH SALAD

Serves 2-4, can be multiplied

INGREDIENTS:

1 large peach
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
1 ripe avocado, halved, sliced, pit and skin discarded
¼ teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
⅛ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 sprig fresh basil, leaves torn or cut into small strips
Optional additions: balsamic glaze, mozzarella, toasted nuts

DIRECTIONS:

If you don’t mind peach skin, just cut into wedges and discard the pit. If you would prefer the peach peeled, cut a very shallow cross through the skin on the bottom of the peach. Then drop in boiling water for 45-60 seconds. Remove and allow to cool briefly. The skin should peel off easily, and a small knife can remove any stubborn bits. Then cut into wedges and discard the pit.

Arrange the tomato slices, avocado slices, and peach wedges on a platter or on individual plates. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Just before serving scatter the basil on top, and any optional additions.

AVOCADO TOAST WITH FIGS & TOMATOES

Serves 1, can be multiplied

INGREDIENTS:

2 slices good sourdough or other hearty bread
1-2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ripe avocado, halved and pitted
2 fresh, ripe figs, stemmed and quartered
10 currant tomatoes, or 5 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
¼ teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
Pinch fresh ground pepper
1-2 teaspoons high quality, thick balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze

DIRECTIONS:

Toast the bread until golden brown. Place the toast on a plate and drizzle with olive oil. Scoop the avocado out of the skin, placing half on each of the slices of toast. With the back of a fork, smush the avocado onto the toast. Arrange the fig quarters and tomatoes on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar or glaze.

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