The tomatoes in my garden are just beginning to ripen but the markets are full of locally grown, sun ripened, glorious tomatoes. Below are a few ideas to celebrate these fruits.

* Panzanella
Use up old bread (preferably sourdough with a sturdy crumb) by slicing it into cubes about a half inch square. Chop twice the quantity of tomatoes together with some red onion and basil and toss together with good olive oil and sea salt. You could also add capers, some lemon juice or red wine vinegar and chopped anchovies if they appeal to you. Serve at room temperature.

*Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Slice tomatoes and arrange beautifully on a platter with slices of mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves torn up and scattered over. Dress with salt and olive oil shortly before serving. You can find freshly made mozzarella cheese most days at the Italian Market on Defence Highway, they do a great job there. Pick up a loaf of their Italian bread too and use it to mop up the juices. A carnivore could add some sliced salami (sold at the same store) and call that lunch.

*Gazpacho
This is just a salad made into a soup but is dead easy if you have a food processor. Originating in Spain, it was traditionally made with a pestle and mortar, thank goodness for technology! Squeeze out most of the seeds from two pounds of tomatoes, peel and seed a pound of cucumbers. Process the tomatoes and cucumbers with half a mild onion, a couple of crushed cloves of garlic, a slice of bread, a couple of tablespoons of red wine vinegar, salt to taste and about a half cup of olive oil. To serve, add small mounds of chopped red and yellow peppers, cucumbers, onions and home made croutons if you want to be fancy. Chill the gazpacho before serving.