Vine-Ripe Tomatoes {Recipe}

If you were to take a walk up the hill here at Weimar, you'd come to this certified organic garden with amazing views.

Not too far from that is a big greenhouse.

If you come in the middle of the day like we did, you might startle a deer or two out of their siesta.

Take a closer look at the greenhouse and you'll see that it's chock-full of tomatoes!

The students and their families are allowed to pick the tomatoes that aren't pretty enough for market.
 

For some reason, many of the tomatoes are split down the sides. I've heard that rain can make that happened, but I've been here for two months and it hasn't rained... 

The boys and I have loaded up on all the tomatoes we can eat several times! 

They can't go to the greenhouse without eating a warm, vine-ripe tomato or two!

I've been adding tomatoes to everything--salads, sandwiches, pasta dishes. I made salsa too. Today I wanted to show you the simple way I make bruschetta. 

Wash and chop 5-6 of those vine-ripe tomatoes. Add a teaspoon of salt, a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and a large handful of fresh basil, also chopped. Mince 3-4 cloves of garlic, then stir it all up.

Enjoy as a topping on crusty Italian bread.

Tonight we ate the crusty bread and bruschetta with homemade tomato soup! This recipe is so easy, and a great way to use up a bunch of those tomatoes. Here's how:

Chop up an onion, several stalks of celery and a couple carrots. Saute them in olive oil until tender. Meanwhile, clean and take the tops off about 10 large tomatoes. When the veggies are soft, blend them in a high-speed blender with the tomatoes. You might need to work in batches. You also can add vegetable broth (I use water with a vegan "chicken" seasoning powder) to make the blending easier. Return the pureed mix to the pot and add about 4 cups of vegetable broth if you haven't already. Simmer until thickened. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Have you enjoyed any vine-ripe tomatoes lately?