Tomatoes come through this year

(Heirloom tomatoes fresh from the garden make a stellar Caprese Salad)

Yes, we have some tomatoes!

This is what I have been waiting for all year - actually, make that two years, because the late blight decimated my entire tomato crop last season. But that is history, now, and I am humbled by the experience. So you can imagine how, with fingers crossed, I planted my tomato seedlings this year, hoping for the best. And while we have been experiencing drought conditions this summer, here in the Hudson Valley, less rain and watering judiciously has been conducive for some mighty fine tomatoes. (I write this as a steady, gentle rain is falling outside, thanking the rain goddess for this much-needed soaking!)



So with an array of tomatoes in all colors, sizes and shapes, what is the first dish I make - yes, a simple Caprese Salad, which M and I had for breakfast the other day (with toasted Italian bread, yum)! Life is good when you've got homegrown tomatoes.

You don't need a recipe for this one, as I'm sure all my fellow bloggers know this routine, but it's worth repeating — select some sun-ripened tomatoes (I used a mix of Brandywine, Black Krim, Mountain Fresh, Goldie, Green Zebra, Chocolate Cherry and Sun Gold), slice them lovingly and lay them out on a platter. Nestle some fresh mozzarella slices in between the tomato slices and sprinkle all with a couple cloves of freshly minced garlic, a chiffonade of fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, good balsamic vinegar, coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. That's it! Now get yourself some good Italian bread and dive in.

There are plenty more tomatoes yet to ripen, and hopefully I will get enough to can some. If not, freezing is another option, and much appreciated in the dead of winter when I need a comforting pot of Sunday slow-simmer sauce on the stove.

Every year is different with gardening, so I am grateful for what's producing this year.

Here's a glimpse of what's growing:




Still ogling the tomatoes, I love setting them up on the picnic table with some freshly picked zinnias and dahlias. They make such a pretty pairing. I'm mesmerized by the color combinations.



The Sun Golds are coming on like gangbusters! Biting into one of these fresh from the vine is like a burst of sunshine hitting the palate.



The Mountain Fresh variety was a new one we tried this year. It's a hardy hybrid that is disease-resistant and produces beautiful 12-ounce fruits. I have to say as a slicing tomato, this one is perfect, yielding hearty, solid fruits. I would grow it again next year, for sure.



Here are the Mountain Fresh plants growing happily next to some basil - talk about a perfect marriage. I like to think the tomatoes grow better and more flavorful when planted next to basil.



The San Marzano plants, the prince of sauce tomatoes, are doing really well and growing quite tall. I had to duct-tape some bamboo poles to the top of the fence as extenders so I can keep on tying them. I will have to get M to get a photo of me standing next to them; they are well on their way to 7-plus feet now and still growing. That's cleome growing randomly next to them.



Of course, if you grow tomatoes, you've got to have garlic. It was a good year for the garlic crop, which has been drying nicely in the garage since July when I harvested about 100 bulbs. The other day I took it all out in the wheelbarrow, cut off the stalks and sorted it in baskets by variety. I saved the best bulbs of each of the 10 varieties I grew to replant in the fall. I think I favor the Italian red and purple, although the French White and Spanish Rioja did really well this year. It's hard for me to nail the difference in tastes among the various varieties, but it's fun trying to taste-test them side by side. Best to have a glass of wine around as a chaser when you do that!



I love how a garden surprises you. This pumpkin volunteer sprouted up outside the fence, probably from the compost I heaped in the bed there. The Grandpa Otis morning glory is another volunteer that repopulates each year. It seems to thrive climbing up the fence alongside its pumpkin companion.




The hummingbirds love the morning glories and trumpet vine that shimmies up the fence. They are so much fun to watch as they dart from the garden to the trees to the feeders and back again.




A garden is a marvel of design and wonder. I see works of art everywhere I turn. This sunflower bud is a classic design that would make a beautiful brooch if sculpted in metal or bronze.





And then it opens up into a brilliant bloom. I can't plant enough sunflowers. The bees seem to agree with me on that one.



The bees and hummingbirds love these hibiscus, which are a magnificent crimson color and the size of a dinner plate. Beauty in design is everywhere in the garden.



These ruffled cosmos are so pretty. The fluted petals are frilly and remind me of a ballerina's tutu. In the background are the Egyptian onions that are forming seed heads now. That's why they are also called walking onions, because those seed heads drop to the ground and the onions just keep growing and growing and growing.



Then there are the zinnias in a riot of color. The butterflies just love them and are always flitting about, hovering over them, settling on a bloom long enough for a big swig of nectar. This swallowtail looks like it ran into a little turbulence along the way, losing part of its lovely lower wings.



There are all kinds of visitors in a garden, from butterflies and catepillars to incredible moths. This little lady, I believe, is a Tersa Sphinx Moth, and was lounging in the pepper patch, perched on this leaf for quite a long time. What a beautiful sighting.



All in all, it's a very nice garden. Some things do better than others from year to year, but there is always a miracle of nature to behold. And a bounty of tomatoes this year!