Cherry Tomato Salad
As befits a holiday of extremes, summer hits its highest and lowest points as August begins. The heat is at its most intense, but pace is at its slowest. At least it is for humans, as we bipeds are drawn to leisurely pursuits of beach towel, picnic blanket, porch swing. Vacation time has been sneaking in since Memorial Day, and has taken us through everything from Juneteenth and Pride Weekend to July Fourth, birthdays, anniversaries.
In August, anyone with a second home is in it, from the Hamptons to wine country, from a hotel to a time share, from the mountains to the shore. For staycationers, our own homes become our vacation homes. The staycation is a time of rediscovery. Everything from chores that we finally get to to local outings that bring us back home at day's or weekend's end re-open our senses to our own homesteads. There are closets to consolidate and photographs to archive. There are decorations to go through in anticipation of holidays that are not, in truth, that far off. There are linens to freshen and upholstery to shampoo and garages to organize. Every one of these tasks re-connects us with our home even as they cause us to see our home through fresh eyes. And that refreshed vision of home is the ultimate goal of vacation.
The impulse to combine leisure time with stay at home projects is reflective of early August's placement at the opening of the season of Lammas. This ancient holiday is the first of three that celebrate the harvest. Lammas recognizes both work and leisure by its placement at late summer and early autumn when Mother Earth is at Her most productive. Lammas celebrates the wheat harvest, but fruits and vegetables are at their most plentiful and highest quality during the late summer. This is one reason canning is traditionally a late summer effort, even as it continues throughout the three harvest holidays and, indeed, throughout the year.
It is also why Lammas is a great time to husband the plants in your household, both house plants and gardens. In our urban home, many of our beloved houseplants, overwintered in the harsh climates of the northeast, had to stay there, in the loving care of neighbors whom the plants already knew as family. But some made the trip out west, and were greeted by an actual front yard, clusters of bromeliads, a majestic California laurel, and families of local wildlife that include ravens, hummingbirds and bees. As we use our staycation time to pull together our new urban home, we will take time to tend these living creatures we refer to as our "patio family" -- making sure to keep the hummingbird feeders clean and full, caretaking the bee colonies along the back fence, and nurturing and watering the soil for the plants from laurel to bromeliad, citrus to gardenia. Indoors, we tend the houseplants, including stripping away dead foliage and replenishing the top soil. Houseplants grow to the size of their containers, and this is an ideal time to evaluate which plants have outgrown theirs, and so perform transplantings as indicated, including the attentive follow-up care that is often warranted.
Until we can plant some tomato vines, we will be short on our own home-grown produce, but a quick walk to nearby Plummer Park leads to the Monday afternoon farmer's market. Here, farmers from surrounding areas as close as rural Los Angeles county and as far as the Gaviota stretch of El Camino Real bring that famous California produce for sale. A flat of plump, impossibly sweet California strawberries is a must, as is an inviting cluster of California grapes. Fresh vegetables tumble into the salad bowl: vibrant lettuces still warm from the sunshine, crisp waxy peppers, stalks of stalwart onions and garlic. And, while the growing season is producing, as many plump California tomatoes as we can carry. Here is one of our favorite ways to enjoy these superstars of the summer harvest: a fresh, California inspired cherry tomato salad.
Cherry Tomato Salad
Look for small red, orange or yellow grape tomatoes or a combination of the three at the farmer's market, green grocer or organic section of the supermarket. If possible, taste the tomatoes before buying; they should be sweet with a firm texture. Do not buy sour, mealy or overly soft tomatoes.
2 dry pints cherry tomatoes
1 bunch fresh basil
In August, anyone with a second home is in it, from the Hamptons to wine country, from a hotel to a time share, from the mountains to the shore. For staycationers, our own homes become our vacation homes. The staycation is a time of rediscovery. Everything from chores that we finally get to to local outings that bring us back home at day's or weekend's end re-open our senses to our own homesteads. There are closets to consolidate and photographs to archive. There are decorations to go through in anticipation of holidays that are not, in truth, that far off. There are linens to freshen and upholstery to shampoo and garages to organize. Every one of these tasks re-connects us with our home even as they cause us to see our home through fresh eyes. And that refreshed vision of home is the ultimate goal of vacation.
The impulse to combine leisure time with stay at home projects is reflective of early August's placement at the opening of the season of Lammas. This ancient holiday is the first of three that celebrate the harvest. Lammas recognizes both work and leisure by its placement at late summer and early autumn when Mother Earth is at Her most productive. Lammas celebrates the wheat harvest, but fruits and vegetables are at their most plentiful and highest quality during the late summer. This is one reason canning is traditionally a late summer effort, even as it continues throughout the three harvest holidays and, indeed, throughout the year.
It is also why Lammas is a great time to husband the plants in your household, both house plants and gardens. In our urban home, many of our beloved houseplants, overwintered in the harsh climates of the northeast, had to stay there, in the loving care of neighbors whom the plants already knew as family. But some made the trip out west, and were greeted by an actual front yard, clusters of bromeliads, a majestic California laurel, and families of local wildlife that include ravens, hummingbirds and bees. As we use our staycation time to pull together our new urban home, we will take time to tend these living creatures we refer to as our "patio family" -- making sure to keep the hummingbird feeders clean and full, caretaking the bee colonies along the back fence, and nurturing and watering the soil for the plants from laurel to bromeliad, citrus to gardenia. Indoors, we tend the houseplants, including stripping away dead foliage and replenishing the top soil. Houseplants grow to the size of their containers, and this is an ideal time to evaluate which plants have outgrown theirs, and so perform transplantings as indicated, including the attentive follow-up care that is often warranted.
Until we can plant some tomato vines, we will be short on our own home-grown produce, but a quick walk to nearby Plummer Park leads to the Monday afternoon farmer's market. Here, farmers from surrounding areas as close as rural Los Angeles county and as far as the Gaviota stretch of El Camino Real bring that famous California produce for sale. A flat of plump, impossibly sweet California strawberries is a must, as is an inviting cluster of California grapes. Fresh vegetables tumble into the salad bowl: vibrant lettuces still warm from the sunshine, crisp waxy peppers, stalks of stalwart onions and garlic. And, while the growing season is producing, as many plump California tomatoes as we can carry. Here is one of our favorite ways to enjoy these superstars of the summer harvest: a fresh, California inspired cherry tomato salad.
Cherry Tomato Salad
Look for small red, orange or yellow grape tomatoes or a combination of the three at the farmer's market, green grocer or organic section of the supermarket. If possible, taste the tomatoes before buying; they should be sweet with a firm texture. Do not buy sour, mealy or overly soft tomatoes.
2 dry pints cherry tomatoes
1 bunch fresh basil
3 medium cloves garlic
Salt (Greek sea salt works well)
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
- Decant the cherry tomatoes into a colander. Pick through the tomatoes to remove and discard any that display discoloration or soft spots. Remove stems and caps if any.Rinse the tomatoes in cool water and set aside to dry.
- Rinse the basil under cool water. Place the basil on a double layer of paper towels and set aside to dry.
- Working one at a time, use a tomato knife or sharp paring knife to cut each tomato in half vertically from stem to cap end. Place the cut tomatoes into a serving bowl as you go.
- Once you have cut all of the tomatoes, lightly sprinkle the tomatoes with salt. Use your hands to toss the tomatoes and the salt together. Set the bowl containing the tomatoes aside.
- Peel each garlic clove and remove the root end. Half each clove; remove and discard any sprouting from the center. Slice each half longways into slivers and then slice each sliver longways into matchsticks. Cut across the matchsticks to mince the garlic. Gently scrape the minced garlic into the bowl containing the salted tomatoes.
- Remove five or six good-sized leaves from the basil. Lay the leaves flat, one on top of the other. Use the knife to cut the stack of basil leaves into thin strips. Cut across the strips to form tiny cuts of herbs.
- Sprinkle the chopped basil across the salted tomatoes. Use your hands to gently mix the tomatoes and basil together.
- Cover the bowl containing the tomato-basil mixture and refrigerate until serving time.
- Before serving, uncover the bowl. The tomato mixture should be fragrant and have expressed a noticeable amount of liquid.
- Season the tomato mixture with several grindings fresh black pepper. Drizzle the tomato mixture with a five-count extra virgin olive oil.
- Use your hands to gently toss the mixture together.
- Serve immediately.
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