The First Tomato of the Season

No, not my first tomato, the first tomatoes of the season are out. I was running around the supermarket this afternoon with the intention of making a quick pizza for dinner with some roasted feta cheese that I was going to make like a friend me told me she made. I was going for the grape tomatoes, and low and behold there they were, the first local tomatoes of the season. I thought to myself, in the middle of June, really? I know there are early varieties having grown Early Girls and Jetsetters before, but never before the 4th of July. So I walked over and looked at the waxed caricatures of real tomatoes on that display. Madame Tussuad would be proud. There was an rendition of a beefsteak, which are my favorites. I wanted to cry at the sight of this fruit. There were globe shaped balls and a few that had the point of a strawberry variety.

I bought about a pound, and while they did taste better then the other red waxed balls from out-of-state, or out-of-country now, they were no match for a real heirloom. In the past few years I've noticed a quickening of the pace to get fresh local tomatoes to market. I know farmers need to make money, and I respect that, however when the product is marginally better and more expensive then what's available, you're doing nothing to help the buy local movement.

Food as fashion doesn't help, either but that's for another post. And Madison Ave. with their sale of perfection is another problem. As this story unfolds, I will focus some attention on those subjects. For now though, this rant is done with. By the way the pizza rocked. Roasting some feta in tin foil is a nice thing to do, especially with some olive oil, garlic and crushed, dried cherry peppers. The wax ball of a tomato melted into a pool of flavor thanks to roasting it with fresh basil, garlic through a press, a squeeze of fresh lemon and good olive oil.