This is the time of year when your neighbor rings your doorbell and runs, leaving you a bag of tomatoes. It's a ridiculous tomato season here this year. I went to visit with my Brother in law Jason last week. He has 2lb tomatoes! Seriously, they are the size of a baby's head. Jason is a gifted farmer and we marvel over his giant produce. Mine don't grow quite that big but we have plenty of tomatoes rolling in.
This year I started from seed: Golden Tomatoes,
Romas and Heirloom Big Boys. My neighbor gave me one starter tomato that is a Cherokee Purple. From my compost...we have lots of cherry tomato volunteers. I stopped planting cherry tomatoes two years ago because they just keep coming back.
One thing to keep in mind with tomatoes...they love two things...Sun and Food! They are very heavy feeders and love rich soil, compost, and organic food. I fed mine right before they bloomed and they jumped a foot and blasted out blossoms. The rest of the job is done by that big star in the sky.
So, now it's finding a million ways to skin a tomato. Right now I'm just enjoying slicing them and eating them when they are still warm. But, my tolerance for tomato acid starts to wear me out. Anybody else get burning lips from tomato acid? I see canning a lot salsa and sauces in my near future.
My very favorite tomato combination is a classic:
Sliced Maters
Sliced fresh Mozzarella
Chopped fresh Basil
stack them up
Sprinkle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a dash of pepper.
It's so simple but
sooooo very right. YUMMY!
Lots of different varieties of peppers are coming in. We have really enjoyed these banana peppers.
I have to admit that I have been eating a cucumber at lunch everyday for a week. Just sliced with salt and pepper. 
This squash is a volunteer. Looks interesting right? Well, we had one a few weeks ago. When I cut it open, I discovered it's a spaghetti squash. I guess it's green because of the zucchinis planted beside it? Garden mystery.
Yesterday I posted about the tomato frenzy going on here. 'Maters still on the vine...
I have been patiently awaiting the dahilias to bloom. They are so precious and full of color. I just love them.
