Summer Tomatoes

Only two things that money can't buy
That's true love & homegrown tomatoes

--Guy Clark

Thanks to modern agribusiness, you can get a decent tomato year-round. Campari, on-the-vine and others from hothouses or faraway southern climes will get you through the dreary months better than those old cello-wrapped hard pink things with the flavor of styrofoam. And I do mean decent. A good off-season tomato can help a salad and nicely top off a hamburger or a sandwich. As good as they may be, though, they don't hold a candle to the real thing: a fresh juicy summer tomato, fresh off the vine, home-grown or from a farm stand.

Now that it's August, I've been getting mine from Shepherd's Farm, around the corner in my hometown. It's as close to homegrown as I'll get this year. They're homegrown, just not at my home! Heirlooms of all sizes and colors, including yellow and gold cherry tomatoes, sweet and meaty and juicy. Until two weeks ago, cherry tomatoes were an anathema to me. You know--those little round flavorless things that show up in salad bars, whose sole purpose in life seems to be to squirt flavorless tomato juice all over when you take a bite. These fresh heirlooms aren't even from the same planet. Tiny round perfection with names like Lollipop and Sun Gold.

All a good tomato really needs is good olive oil, but for real summer heaven, slice 'em up with slivers of onion, chucks of cucumber, a crumble of feta cheese and some salt, pepper and oregano. Add some green pepper if you like. Drench the whole mess in lots of the best olive oil you can find--fresh, fruity, cold pressed extra-virgin. At the bottom of the bowl you'll find tomato juices mixed with olive oil, bits of onion and feta and some tomato seeds. Be sure to have crusty bread to sop it up.