Back to the table: Tasty tomatoes a bit late after hail, cool nights

Expect to see local tomatoes more regularly at the farmers markets, though many had to replant due to early and repeated hailstorms.



Between hail and cooler nighttime temperatures, tomatoes are maturing later this year. A bright spot has been the little, super sweet and golden orange Sungolds, which create a crisp, juicy flavor explosion in the mouth. Great as a snack or tossed into salads and salsas, Sungolds come early and produce a long time.

If you are looking for the tomato flavor you remember as a child, check out the Larimer County Farmers’ Market on Saturdays at the courthouse parking lot, the Drake Farmers’ Market, 802 W. Drake Road, on Saturdays and the Fort Collins Farmers’ Market, southwest corner of Harmony Road and Lemay Avenue, Wednesdays and Sundays.

Most of the tomatoes you’ll find there are heirloom varieties, meaning you can save the seeds to replant and produce the same tomato. Hybrids and heirlooms are delicious and easy to incorporate into summer menus, but the old-fashioned heirlooms seem to have deeper, more complex flavor.

I grill them, halved, along with zucchini and eggplant slices, grilling onions and portabella mushrooms and enclose them in a wrap with chipotle sour cream. Add cheese, grilled chicken or steak if you want something more substantial.

Broil halved tomatoes until slightly browned along with fresh sage leaves, salt, pepper and a little olive oil and toss with hot pasta, feta cheese and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Or add diced tomatoes to a pan of sautéed chicken with garlic and onion, deglaze the pan with ¼ cup red or white wine, simmer 5 to 10 minutes and serve garnished with torn fresh basil leaves.

Or poach mahi mahi fillets or large raw shrimp in a combination of minced garlic, chopped onion and bell pepper softened in olive oil, plus 2 chopped tomatoes and ½ cup dry white wine. Add Kalamata or green olives, if you like, or 1 teaspoon capers and serve with chopped Italian parsley over cooked brown rice.

By all means, slice heirloom tomatoes and stack them with slices of fresh mozzarella and whole fresh basil leaves for the popular Caprese salad drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

Tomatoes are loaded with nutrients: fiber, potassium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, copper, vitamins A, B, C, E and K and lycopene. Lycopene is strongly anti-cancer, particularly prostate cancer. The lycopene in organic tomatoes appears to be more effective than taking a supplement. Lycopene is fat soluble and pairs beautifully with heart-healthy extra virgin olive oil. Recently, I prepared this unusual salad to good reviews:
Green Salad with Fresh Tomatoes and Peaches

Ingredients

4-6 cups washed salad greens

2 peaches, sliced

2 yellow or red heirloom tomatoes, rough chopped

½ cup red onion, thinly sliced

¾ cup feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

Whisk together 2 tablespoons minced shallot with 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Whisk in salt and pepper and add 1/3 cup olive oil in a thin stream. Toss with the salad and serve. Substitute goat cheese, if you like it.