I know everything has been a bit much lately. Heavy on the turkey and squash pie, and hardly a walk in between.
So today we're keeping things light. I know these tomatoes aren't pretty, but they're still hanging on, and that in and of itself is something to be commended.
They've been off the vine since October, after all, and are only just now beginning to ripen. They've long outlived their parents, pulled up by the roots and dangling dirt and vine as they were thrown to the wind. The bigger tomatoes turned first, picked green and left to ripen on the windowsill. Slowly, in groups, the cherries turned too, and today we'll eat the last batch.
But we're celebrating something new, too. This morning when I went out to check on my lettuces, I realized with delight that it's time to do some trimming. I picked a few spinach leaves here, a lettuce petal there, and a bit of rosemary, little droplets of condensation raining down on me all the while. The greenhouse was toasty compared to the yard—up to 50 degrees, even on this gray day.
Inside, with the very first greens washed and dried, I added the cherry tomatoes, a dash of sea salt, and a drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil. A dollop of goat cheese topped it off, and we sat down to our lightest meal in days—and one grown almost entirely in our very own backyard—then, and now.
TWO SEASON SALAD
Serves 2
Wash and dry 3 to 4 cups mixed winter greens. Toss with 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons olive oil, and sea salt and pepper to taste. Top with 2 ounces crumbled chevre.