Before we had the baby, I kept a great vegetable garden. There was a variety of produce that could satisfy any salad bowl or soup pot: lettuces, celery, cucumber, bell peppers, chili peppers, peas, eggplant, zucchini, herbs, cauliflower and, of course, tomatoes. I was very proud. Now with a child, I still have a garden but it’s very neglected. I don’t get out to visit my veggies much and I’ve delegated all the watering and most of the picking to my husband. Looking out of the kitchen to the yard, I spy a pitiful group of gangly looking tomato plants. The basil and chives have gone to seed and are a gnarly sight. The cukes are long gone from when my husband pulled the plug on them.
Even so, my heirloom tomato plants are bearing us more fruit than I can rightfully expect. I’m not canning tomato sauce or anything but there’s enough of a supply to keep our plates full. I planted a few varieties this year – Black Krum, Paul Robeson, Anna Russian, Snow White, and Yellow Pear. I prefer heirloom tomatoes because they are colorful, juicy and flavorful. They taste real.
The Black Krums, slightly smaller than a golf ball, are the stars of this simple salad.
Heirloom Tomato Salad
Serves 2
12 Black Krum tomatoes (or other small variety), cut in half
1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded
5 – 6 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade (fancy word for rolling the leaves and slicing thinly, now you know)
1 – 2 tablespoons balsalmic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste.
- Cut the cucmber into same size as tomatoes.
- Toss all ingredients together and plate.
Growing your own vegetables is a great way to get fresh, organic food in your diet. It’s inexpensive and can provide a great workout. I love sitting down to a homemade meal knowing that the food came from my own land (or 4 x 4 planter, but whatever). Try it and see what wonderful things you can grow.
(Thanks to AW for letting me borrow the D60 :). I finally figured out how to turn the thing on and shoot.)
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