IT's the little things....

“Home grown tomatoes, home grown tomatoes. What would life be like without homegrown tomatoes
Only two things that money can't buy-That's true love and home grown tomatoes.”
                                             -John Denver, 'Home Grown Tomatoes' (written by Guy Clark)

I recently discovered a little gem of a farm nearby. It is on the site of what I thought was a dairy farm. However one day I was driving by and there was a sign for chemical- free produce and fresh eggs. I had to stop! Inside they had tables stacked high with  freshly picked produce, beautiful eggplants, heaps of kale, piles of summer squash and box after box of gorgeous tomatoes of all colors. I bought several pints of the small ones in every color they had. It's true that there is nothing like a home-grown tomato. The flavors are more complex and you can taste the sunshine in them. Puts a grocery store tomato to shame every time. Now that's it's late summer, they are all ripening and it's prime time to grab some.

Last night I decided to roast some of the bounty, which is so easy. I washed and halved the tomatoes and lay them on a parchment -lined baking sheet. While my oven was preheating to 350 degrees, I drizzled them with extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkled them with kosher salt and topped them with fresh thyme sprigs. Then I roasted them for about 40 minutes. They keep covered in the fridge for several days and have lots of uses (that's assuming you don't just eat them right off the tray first)!

When they are done, they look like this. That caramelization is the good stuff-lots of concentrated flavor.

Tomorrow I'll share some ideas on how to use them in your kitchen! Bon Appetit!