Its raining cherry tomatoes!!!

I have planted all colors of cherry tomatoes this year -- red, yellow, orange. I am getting basketful of tomatoes almost every couple of days in past few weeks.

I have very pleasant memories of cherry tomatoes from my childhood. After my grandfather retired they moved to Kolhapur in their own home. I visited them frequently. The house was small but there was a huge yard in the front. They planted peanuts, maize, some other vegetables and a few tomato plants which would yield baby tomatoes. I remember spending hours and hours playing in the yard around these vegetables. I even have pictures of me playing in the maize plantation! Once in a while my great grandfather would come and visit us. He would hold my hand and we would go around the vegetable patch and pluck okra or cucumbers. He would pull a peanut vine and check if the peanuts are ready. He would share a couple of those fresh peanut pods with me. I still remember smell of the freshly pulled peanuts. At the end of our stroll we would pluck these baby tomatoes, wash them with the garden hose and eat them right there. I would first bite into it and observe the seeds, while doing that will drop the juice on my dress. He would try to clean it up with his handkerchief. He would eat one or two and then we would pluck some more to eat with lunch. We would then slowly walk to the kitchen where my grandma would be preparing lunch. I would tell everything to her. I would eat couple of cherry tomatoes unwashed and grandma would tell me not to. I still remember it as if it happened yesterday! Now when I go pluck tomatoes from my plants I remember my Ajji (grandma), our Kolhapur home, the garden and everything about it.

Apart from eating freshly picked tomatoes by themselves, I enjoy these goodies in Bruschetta. I always have basil in the backyard so I can whip this appetizer in minutes. It’s extremely easy and the end result is always an instant crowd pleaser. There is not a specific recipe but merely a guideline.

Here is what you will need -
A few cherry tomatoes
Sprig of basil
Garlic cloves
Rustic Italian bread or French baguette
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Good quality extra virgin olive oil

Preparation - 
Preheat the over at 350F.
Wash and quarter cherry tomatoes.
Chiffonade basil leaves.
Diagonally slice the bread loaf in 1/2" thick slices.
Place the bread slices on a baking sheet.
Bake on the top rack of the over for about 4-5 minutes on each side.
Remove and carefully rub garlic on each slice.
Top with copped tomatoes, chopped basil, sprinkle sea salt and black pepper.
Now arrange these in a serving dish or on individual plates.
Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and enjoy.

Tips -

1. You can use any tomatoes but I like cherry or heirloom tomatoes in my bruschetta. 
2. You can get everything ready and just assemble these when you are ready to eat as tomatoes make bread soggy if its not eaten immediately. 
3. You will have to use some rustic bread, normal white/wheat sliced bread will not give the best results.