In late September, I start to become anxious about the end of the tomato season. When you know there won’t be enough sun to turn all those tomatoes hanging on the plant their ripe color, you can find me running around the farmers’ markets from farmer to farmer asking what they have left for tomatoes. How can we possibly get enough oven roasted and frozen for the winter? But every year it inevitably happens, and then I will get all excited all over again for the next year’s harvest.

Tomatoes are near and dear to our hearts. Cheryl will often talk about the gardens she had growing up and how much she loved it when she would pick all the green tomatoes with her mom and grandmother at the end of the season and make green tomato pickles.

I am a bit of a purist. I prefer the heirloom varieties, and do not eat tomatoes off season. I am very disappointed when a restaurant chooses to use an off-season non-local tomato in a dish. The tomato lacks flavor and color and is by no means helping local farmers.

So we enjoy them while we can. In the peak of the season most of my meals revolve around tomatoes a thick slice of Black Krim with smoked salmon on a bagel, or with native basil and mozzarella, melted so it’s warm and delicious!

Before opening Forty Five Market Street Bakery in Somersworth, Cheryl and I owned a restaurant in Newington for years and we made many dishes with tomatoes, more specifically with green tomatoes. We would offer breakfast with fish cakes, eggs, homefries and fried green tomatoes. We have a friend Vinny who likes nothing more than a big plate of fried green tomatoes as a side dish, but our favorite dish to make is fried green tomato BLTs: just two slices of our toasted bread, mayo, butterhead lettuce, veggie bacon and a few thick slices of fried green tomatoes.

So gather all the green tomatoes in your garden or visit your local farmers’ market and buy a handful. Fried green tomatoes one of the best ways we have found to enjoy this harvest, and a delicious way to extend the tomato season.

Fried Green Tomatoes  
4 medium green tomatoes
3/4 cup cornmeal, with salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup buttermilk
1  beaten egg
1/2 cup flour
olive oil for frying
Put cornmeal and flour each in separate shallow bowls. Between them, place the beaten egg and buttermilk in its own bowl.
Slice tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices.
Dredge tomatoes slices into flour, dip into buttermilk, dredge into cornmeal.
Place tomato into pan with pre-heated olive oil, fry on each side turning only once till golden brown.
Remove and drain on paper towels. Eat while warm.

Cheryl Arsenault and Celeste Gingras are the owners of Forty Five Market Street Bakery and Cafe in downtown Somersworth. They cater, provide a winter comfort food share, prepare lunch for a small school in Somersworth, and participate in many local farmers’ markets. Their mission is to make honest and fresh food with love and consideration for our planet.