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Tomatoes with Bread Pudding and Roasted Carrot Salad

Tomato Bread Pudding

Looking for John Steinbeck

“You can see how this book has reached a great boundary that was called 1900. Another hundred years were ground up and churned, and what had happened was all muddied by the way folks wanted it to be–more rich and meaningful the further back it was.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

East of Eden is a work of fiction that also includes real Steinbeck family history. Which makes for a very fascinating story. While John’s family history in the Salinas Valley unfolds the biblical parable of Cain and Abel is told with (mostly) fictional characters. John Steinbeck includes his mother’s, Olive Hamilton, family members as main characters in the novel. Olive’s parents, Samuel and Liza Hamilton are featured prominently in the novel. He wrote very little about his father’s family, the Steinbeck’s. I visited the San Benito County Historical Society to learn more of John Steinbeck’s paternal family history. READ MORE . . .

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Whole Wheat Rolls with Tomato Pesto

Whole Wheat Rolls with tomato Pesto

A Glimpse of Summer

“It was very warm for March, and the kite wind blew steadily from the south and turned up the silver undersides of the leaves.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

I found out where summer is hiding. It’s such a small thing but I am ecstatic! You can catch me buying greenhouse grown tomatoes during the winter. I just can’t help myself. I miss the robust flavor of fresh tomatoes in salads and most of all the sweet intensity of roasted tomatoes. At the grocery store I noticed a packet of sun dried tomatoes–just tomatoes, in a package similar to dried fruit. I peered in the small clear window to inspect the contents and then gave the package a hearty squeeze. The tomatoes were soft and a bright sunny red. I couldn’t believe I’d uncovered a glimpse of summer hiding at the grocery store! READ MORE . . .

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Indian Summer Orzo Salad

Orzo salad

Late Summer Tomatoes

“The afternoon was golden, for the yellow dust in the sky gilded the light.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

The last shards of summer are heaped in a pile waiting for my attention. I have made excuses. Not enough time, out of town visitors, trips north and south along the coast, a migraine and it’s flattening aftermath. I could make a longer list; but truly it’s all about summer. The months of September and October are traditionally what we call our Indian Summer. The dismal grey fog disappears mid morning and we are blessed with the glorious warmth and sparkling light of sunny days. The fog stayed late this year and our Indian Summer was just a mirage the entire month of September. How can we be ready for fall when summer just arrived? I marvel at pounds of ripe tomatoes, harvested inland, in the heat. Like shards of broken pottery, I hold onto the remnants of a greater thing, a summer almost missed. READ MORE . . .

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Salsa and a Tomato Story

Mary's salsa

Mary’s recipe

“On Saturday the fourteenth of October the first wild ducks went over Salinas. Faye saw them from her window, a great wedge flying south. When Kate came in before supper, as she always did, Faye told her about it. ‘I guess the winter’s nearly here,’ she said.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

It was late September; the traditional summer months were gone. Where were the ripe juicy tomatoes I had waited for? Early this spring I planted six tomato plants. With an unusually foggy summer my plants got confused and scraggly. Lots of sprawling growth with just a few of those precious yellow buds. Even the Early Girl and San Francisco Fog resisted the temptation to flower, hiding under the blanket of coastal fog. I was envious of all the beautiful tomatoes I was seeing, especially San Marzanos and Heirlooms. Not wanting to be left out of the summer tomato mania, we went to Mariquita’s Hollister farm to pick tomatoes in late September. Hollister, California is only twenty-five miles away and perfect for growing tomatoes; inland from the coast with lots of sunshine and heat. I was waiting for the day. I had planned ahead with boxes, garden clippers, sunscreen and a hat. And yet, I faltered and was fraught with indecision, how many tomatoes did I want? What was I planning to do with them? How many tomatoes do you need for salsa? Will I harvest enough for canning? Do I really want to get involved with canning? These are excellent questions to answer before going to the farm to pick tomatoes. I brought home enough tomatoes for lots of salsa, but only enough to make three half pints of San Marzano tomato paste. Next year I will have a more strategic contingency plan for my coastal tomatoes! After my initial hesitation I purchased more heirlooms locally from The Farm: Early Cascades, Striped Germans, Brandywines, Carbons and Chocolate Stripes. I canned the heirlooms whole, and made sauce with them. The little Early Cascades were slow dried in the oven and are residing in my freezer. But the San Marzano’s had slipped through my fingers. READ MORE . . .

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Lake Tahoe Autumn Salad

Lake Tahoe Autumn Salad

Sierra Nevada comfort

“And summer passed into a hot and fragrant autumn.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Each summer we vacation at the north shore of Lake Tahoe, staying at my husband’s family place at Northstar. Northstar is between the town of Truckee and the north shore of Lake Tahoe. This year we vacationed in early September, rather than in August. Most of the other vacationers had returned home. Tahoe was stunning in it’s beauty, serenely quiet. Autumn had found its way into the bright sunny days interspersed with days of Sierra Nevada thundershowers. A crispness was already in the air, especially at night. The trip was bittersweet for us, as it may be our last vacation at the family place. In anticipation of its sale, Mr. R spent time on repairs and logistics. The possibility of our last stay remained with us. We quietly savored each day, imprinting the memories of our favorite places. We lingered over breakfast and coffee, before spending an afternoon at the pool or venturing out for a day trip. It sounds quite overdone, and full of hype, but one must see Lake Tahoe on a sunny day to grasp the intensity of its color. I am drawn by Lake Tahoe’s irresistible pull to return again and yet again. READ MORE . . .