Gold And Rubies

I have a habit of overbuying at the farmer's market. All that gorgeous produce seduces my money out of my pocket and I come home laden with more strawberries, or cantaloupes, or cherry tomatoes than we can eat in a week, even with house guests. Temptation is something I can rarely resist.

Luckily, there is a solution for the overabundance. Strawberries can be frozen or made into jam. Cantaloupes work as well as an appetizer with a little prosciutto as they do as a dessert, and I have even resorted to making cantaloupe granita, which is a wonderful way to use up extra melon.

And tomatoes of any stamp, even tiny cherries like these, can be roasted and stored in the fridge for quite a long time. I got my recipe from Molly Wizenberg and I've never found a reason to go looking elsewhere. It's simple and yields richly flavored, concentrated tomato goodness. It's like having money in the bank or, better yet, like having gold and rubies in your fridge. They can come out to pop a few as a snack, to decorate an otherwise plain burger, to toss into a salad or to add to other dishes where a rich tomato taste is welcome.

So, next time you are seduced at the market, you know what to do. Give in!