As summer begins to come to an end with the kids headed back to school, the big BBQ bashes are right around the corner for Labor day weekend, and the fresh summer produce will quickly turn to fall greens, root veggies, and loads of squash and pumpkins. In honor of my favorite vegetable, (technically a fruit) tomato season will be winding up here soon. Oh, how I”ll miss garden-fresh, sun-ripened tomatoes everyday. I literally can not get enough! As I’ve said before there is nothing better than picking a warm tomato straight from your own garden to be sliced for sandwiches and salads!

All winter long I will dream of these sweet and juicy treats. Grocery store tomatoes don’t even come close to the perfect rainbow of accessible yummies we can get all summer. Black Krims, Purple Smudge, Dr.Wyche’s Yellow, Japanese Black Trifele, Lemon, Mr. Stripey, San Marzano, Golden Peach, and Green Zebras have all made an appearance in my garden.

Tomatoes are loved so much in my area, a local farmers market has an annual tomato festival and we drive over an hour to taste an array of different Heirlooms every year. We stock up on all our favorites, trying news ones, and savoring every bit of the season. My 3 year-old daughter demands her own bag of Sungolds and Black Cherrys, inhaling them so she won’t have to share.But we decided to share a little taste of the festival with you…

As summer continues to fizzle out, if you haven’t gotten your heart’s desire in tomatoes now is the time or you’ll have to wait till next summer and believe me it’s a long winter! 🙂 So make your own sauce, can every last one, even sun dry your own for salads and dips for the winter, (Check out my post later this week how to sun dry your own tomatoes) just incase you get that hankering! Here’s to the end of summer and bellies full of tomatoes!