"tomato season" news and stories

Each week, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week:

• A taste of the tropics in your kitchen -- palm trees, not included.
• Take a culinary cruise through Maui.
• Is duck fetus egg an edible treat?
• Wind down tomato season with this tart.
• Crashing waves pair well with coastal comestibles like grilled sardines.
• While working on that tan, match these LA chefs with their restaurants.

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 adore tomatoes. In fact, I love them so much that I'd put up with melting every day in the heat if it meant that I'd get a never ending season of fresh tomatoes from the local farms.

Alas, we're working our way back to winter, and this red-hued season won't last forever. But while it does, I can over-indulge. I had to share the above picture, which I took after I found myself staring into the super-cheap $6 basket of tomatoes I picked up over the weekend. That blemish on the top left was the only bit in the whole box. The rest were perfect, deep red tomatoes -- the type I dream about all year.

I've made tons of salsa so far, and am gearing up for more salads, sandwiches, bruschetta, and salt-covered slices, but what other ways do you prepare your fresh tomatoes for a meal? I'm looking for any ideas that don't include cooking the heck out of them. I want to enjoy the raw, or raw-ish flavor while it lasts!

I stopped into my favorite local produce stand after work on Wednesday, to pick up some salad makings (for once, I had used up everything from my CSA share) and a pound of fingerling potatoes for roasting (I've been experiencing something of a roasted potato yen). While I was there, I saw a cluster of woman standing around a display, cooing and exclaiming. Eventually they dissipated, and I was able to see what all the fuss was about. It was a box of tomatoes.

However, these weren't just any tomatoes. These were the very first New Jersey tomatoes of the season. I approached the box with a sense of reverence and briefly considered genuflecting, before determining that the story was a little too crowded for rapturous displays of produce-inspired passion. I reached out and picked up one. It was heavy for its size and felt good in my hand.

I took it home and as soon as was finished photographing it (I knew it was worthy of a blog post), I cut in. The interior was a deep red (none of that pale pink you find in conventional February tomatoes). I ate the first thick slice atop a piece of gently toasted pain au levain, before devoring the rest of the tomato with nothing more than a sprinkling of salt. I officially declare Jersey tomato season open!