"cherry tomatoes" news and stories

Cherry tomatoes. Photo: ccharmon, Flickr

Whether in a Topsy Turvy planter, a backyard garden or a proper farm, it seems growers (and eaters) everywhere are anxiously awaiting prime tomato time, when it's safe to finally pick the ripe red, orange and yellow fruits straight from the vine. Unfortunately, the cold and rainy summer that's plagued many regions of the United States has delayed tomato season for some. But not for Flickr user ccharmon, who got hold of the cherry variety and managed to make the tiny critters seem larger than life. Not only that, each seems to contain a million little flecks of the sunshine that helped make it so perfect.

Until we find such sun-kissed tomatoes of our own, we'll settle for gazing at these scarlet beauties -- even if that means a little drool ends up on the keyboard.

[Via Flickr]

I have something of a weakness for cute food. I love things like tiny-BLT sandwiches, little quiches and mini-cupcakes. These small quail egg and cherry tomato mushrooms have been catching my eye in the Slashfood Flickr pool for the last couple of days and last night they finally pushed my cute-o-meter into overdrive.

According to Pille, the Estonian food blogger who made and photographed them, they are fairly common in her country, having appeared in a children's cookbook in the eighties. They are new to me, but I think they would make a fun addition to a brunch spread, especially since they offer a fun variation of the deviled egg.

Source

On a whim I threw a little salad together tonight that turned out to be one of the best things I've made lately. it was almost all ingredients I picked up yesterday at a local Farmers' Market. It was half a pint of orange cherry tomatoes sliced in half, three blondie cucumbers (like Kirbys, only yellow instead of green) peeled and chunked, four ounces of cubed feta and ten shredded lemon verbena leaves. I drizzled a little olive oil on top of it and gave it a good shower of ground pepper.

The lemon verbena tastes like both green freshness and lemon zest. It's not an herb that you find in every market, but if you can get your hands on it, it is well worth the price and search.

• What can you do with cherry tomatoes? Many things.
• An in-depth investigation of Boston lunch carts.
• Yes, you can make a simple relish with cabbage!
• The pleasing history of cornmeal.
• This week is the last week for Boston's Restaurant Week (yup, it actually lasted two weeks).
• A review of Sleep On It, a new book with recipes for bed & breakfast owners.
• More recipes: Peach and Blueberry Cobbler; Gratin of Squash, Tomatoes, and Mozzarella; and Pattypan Squash Stuffed with Corn and Feta.