Tomatoes, Potatoes, Pumpkins and Figs

We've been eating about a pint of cherry tomatoes a day -- plain right off the vine, with mozzarella cheese, with feta cheese, in pasta salad, in potato salad and in pasta sauce. And, of course, lots are given to friends and neighbors. It really is remarkable just how many tomatoes have grown in two small plots. Last week it finally got to the point that we just couldn't keep up with the bounty so I canned three pints and have now filled a pint jar with sun (actually oven) dried tomatoes.

Some of the potatoes were boiled for a Nicoise salad. These were starter potatoes that were on clearance at Frager's for 10 cents a package in June. They've done remarkably well and taste delicious.

This pumpkin vine is a volunteer taken from the compost pile.

Finally, figs. The fig tree down at the community garden is dripping with giant, ripe figs. They started ripening about 10 days ago and since then, I've probably picked 35 cups of them. I've made three batches of Drunken Fig Jam, a recipe I found on Epicurious, and each recipe calls for 9 cups of them. The jam has figs, brandy, sugar and the zest and juice of two lemons. It's unbelievably good on crackers with goat cheese.

I feel like I'm the only one really picking the figs down there. Every time I go, there are dozens of easily reached ripe figs that are on the verge of being too ripe. I hate to see them go bad on the vine, so I've picked dozens that I've dried. I need to let it go.