Here are my latest tomatoes, it’s the first of the Purple Cherokee from the seeds given to me by my fellow gardner at Seeded.
I tried my first one last night it was divine. The plant itself has been growing great and has lots of fruit on it. It’s not having the problems that Brandywine seems to be struggling with (blossom end rot). I’ve also had success with my Cherry, Green Zebra, Chico III Roma and Italian Market. The Brandywine and the Speckled Roma have still not produced any viable fruit. But the Purple Cherokee is my favorite so far this year.
Personally, I don’t think you could find two food that taste better together than Basil and Tomatoes. So far this year we have used both in Caprese salad, salsa, Chicken Parmigiana, Cucumber Tomato Basil salad, Bruschetta, and lots more. Pardon my blurry pictures but these looked so good I didn’t have time to focus the camera.
Caprese Salad
1/2 pound of Fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2-3 ripe tomatoes (depending on size) sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup fresh basil leaves
Coarse salt and Freshly Ground pepper
Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
Pesto (optional)
Lay a slice tomato on top of the mozzarella slices on a large plate creating an overlaping effect. Tear or chop in strips basil leaves and sprinkle on top of the tomato and cheese slices. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. We also added a dollop of Pesto but this is optional. Parmesan slices placed on top (also optional)
Do you have any favorite tomato and basil recipes?
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