Tomatoes finally flourish

When I moved to the house I live in now on Birdsong Street the thing I was looking forward to most was a backyard that gets full sun. Since I turned 15, I've lived in townhomes, dorm rooms or apartments with nothing more than patios overshawdowed by other buildings. I futiley tried container gardening, but as anyone who knows me knows, I don't really have a green thumb.

I figured when we moved to our new place, where we've been for two and a half years now that the large amount of sunlight might be enough to make things flourish. The first summer at the house I tried to grow a variety of vegetables from seedlings and then transplant them in the yard. They all died, but it was still early enough in the season to buy some transplants at local nurseries. We had our fill of early girl and cherry tomatoes for the summer. That year I discovered a couple of recipes that have become regular favorites - like one with freshly chopped tomatoes and shredded basil tossed in bowtie pasta with a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese. It's delicious and perfect for hot summer nights when we don't want to do too much cooking.

Last summer bruschetta was the hit. We made it half a dozen times and I got requests for it from friends who wanted me to bring it for parties.

This summer, our plants got a slow start due to the mild temperatures early in the summer. It is just in the last couple weeks that we've started to get a good batch off our plants. Luckily the farmers market in Hollister is just through the alley from my office on Wednesdays so I've been able to get beefsteaks and heirlooms to boost our supply. Last weekend I tried out a gazpacho recipe, a Spanish dish that is made with pureed tomatoes and vegetables. Since it is chilled, it's also a great summer meal. For the recipe, visit the Weekend Pinnacle life section.

Photo by Melissa Flores

Gazpacho is made with pureed tomatoes, chipotle and corn.