Harvest time

The sun has finally been shining in Seattle. Today I harvested a couple of pounds of ripe tomatoes and a big colander of grapes.

Nothing says summer to me like perfectly ripe tomatoes straight from the vine. These came from plants I started from seed in the early spring. Unfortunately we had a cool summer, so although the plants were tall and strong, with a lot of fruit, it's taken until September to ripen. I foresee insalata caprese in my future: fresh mozzarella cheese and basil leaves over sliced tomatoes, dressed with a scattering of sea salt and some fruity olive oil.

I've been tasting the grapes daily to ascertain the peak of sweetness. The colander yielded 6 cups of grape juice. It tastes both sweet and tart, the perfect metaphor for life. I will refrigerate the grape juice to have for kiddush during the holidays later this month.

The plums are already stewing in the basement to become homemade "hooch." The strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and chester berries were all delicious too!