First Tomato of the Season!

We planted our garden a few months ago, using Walls 'o Water to protect the tender plants in our volatile climate and covering the green beans and corn with netting to protect the new plants from the quail. Not to mention, the fertilizing, watering, etc. This week all the effort paid off! A few days ago, we picked a very small crop of green beans and got exactly five beans each but they were really yummy! Tonight I picked the first tomato, pepper, basil, and onion and made a salad with them. It was so delicious. I could have eaten the whole plate by myself but I had to share with my family.

Here's the recipe:

Assemble in the following order on a large plate:

5-7 thin small slices of fresh mozzarella cheese (from an 8 oz. ball)
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
8-10 basil leaves, chopped
1 small green pepper, sliced in thin rings
1 small green onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. each (or maybe a little less) of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, mixed together
salt and pepper liberally sprinkled on top

Let it sit for 20-30 minutes to blend flavors. Then consume before anyone knows you've made it! (That's my plan for next time anyway--but I'm going to have to wait a few days for another tomato. Well...maybe I'll share it with my husband.)

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