It’s tomato canning weekend at my house, at long last. It’s the first weekend we’ve had free in what seems like months, and the tomatoes are practically crawling into the kitchen on their own. It’s time to buckle down.
After all the jars of diced tomatoes and salsa are done, though, I’m hoping to have fun Monday making a big picnic for 5. Which means I’ll cook for 12. Leftovers, you know.
Penne with Tomato Pesto and Smoked Mozzarella will be on the menu. It calls for sun-dried tomatoes. I’m going to fake those with a simple recipe from SparkPeople for oven-roasted ones..
Yeah, It seems like a lot of work, and I might not actually get to it. But the fact is I can. That’s the cool part.

Those first precious red globes of summer are making their ways from backyard vines onto kitchen cutting boards.
For those not fortunate enough to have their own, local growers are more than happy to serve them up at local stands and supermarkets.
Wegmans is celebrating them in a big way today and Saturday, offering up locally grown maters as well as free tastings of many dishes that contain them, including
caprese salad, heirloom tomato salad, tomato bruschetta, tomato and hummus naan pizza, roasted tomato basil soup and a European baguette with prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, sliced plum tomatoes and lettuce with a pesto mayonnaise.
The meat department will offer a BLT sandwich with beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes and Wegmans applewood-smoked bacon.
Get your fill today from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information, visit Tomato Harvest event at Wegmans.
Here’s Wegmans recipe for the Tomato Hummus Naan Pizza.
P.S. Wegmans will also be serving cake tomorrow at noon, celebrating the Olympic athletes.