Go to any Farmer's Market and be dazzled by the mounds of dark purple eggplants, bright green, red, yellow and orange peppers, lovely crisp squashes, all at the very peak of deliciousness. My garden was absolutely nuts, this year. I actually picked my first ripe tomato on the 4 th of July, fully a month ahead of previous years. Since the 1 st of August I've had them at almost every meal, chopped and spread on goat cheese topped toasted rosemary bread for breakfast, by the handful for lunch, in and on everything at dinner-time. I never get tired of them, knowing that once they're gone, they're gone.
Green tomatoes are a happy dilemma.
In the short run, lightly breaded in corn meal or crumbs, and lightly fried until golden, green tomatoes are sheer heaven. I often chop them with onion, chilies and cilantro for a perky, tart salsa. Sometimes I add red or yellow tomatoes. Sometimes I combine them with chopped tomatillos. Green tomatoes are also yummy cut in thick slices, quartered, if large and simply saut ed in a little butter and seasoned with salt and pepper.