You say tomato, I say DELICIOUS.
Have you been wondering where I’ve been lately? Sorry I’ve been a little quiet the past few weeks. I was traveling the first few weeks in August and now I’m gearing up to teach another class at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this fall. I can’t believe that today is the first day of classes! I really do love this time of year and I love everything about the fall season….football, fall colors, and pumpkin flavored everything.
But before fall truly hits, I have to take advantage of tomatoes while they are still in season. This weekend my mother-in-law gave me tomatoes and basil from her garden and then I also had some generous neighbors who dropped off some tomatoes as well. How lucky can one girl be? So, I asked myself….what else goes with tomatoes & basil? Duh, mozzarella and balsamic vinegar of course!
So I decided to throw this together, chill, and serve in this 100 degree heat. Seriously, it’s been sooooo hot the last week. I feel like I’m “wearing the air” as our local meteorologist would say. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to escape the humidity and head to Davis, CA. I had the best time getting to attend the Seminis Woodland Field Days and learn more about Monsanto’s vegetable business. I’ll share more about that experience in the future, but I wanted to show you a few shots from the trip. Below is a shot of tomatoes from the Davis Farmers Market. Apparently the Davis Farmers Market is one of the first farmers markets that was established in California. I’m not going to lie… it is definitely the best farmers market I’ve ever had the chance to see.
While visiting Woodland, I had the opportunity to take the “Journey of 100 tomatoes.” Apparently being a plant breeder means that you get to do a lot of taste testing. (So, why didn’t I go into plant breeding??)
Below is a collage of a few pics from the field and classroom. The picture on the bottom right was my “spit cup.” This was so that we could taste the tomatoes and then spit them out. I never realized that there were so many different kinds of tomatoes!
You might think that after all that taste testing that I might be sick of tomatoes? Not a chance. I love tomatoes and they are incredibly nutritious as they contain a good amount of potassium and vitamin C. I don’t even have a recipe for this salad because it’s really that simple. All you need is fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella, white balsamic vinegar, and a little salt & pepper.
Enjoy!!
