May-toes & Caprese Salad

This spring we planted basil (regular, purple and spicy Thai), Italian parsley, oregano, dill, mint, thyme and six tomato plants. While we have over 20 green tomatoes, we haven't had any ripen yet. Regardless, Kaitlyn likes to call them "may-toes."

Roma TomatoesCherry Tomatoes

Just felt like posting photos of our first real herb garden...We have two tomato plants by our garage and they seem to like it there b/c they won't stop growing. Some beautiful lilies that G'am Linda transplanted last year and some pretty flowers on one of our trees. They bloom two to three times a year.

Below is a recipe for our version of Caprese salad using our own fresh basil. Yum!!!

Our Caprese Salad
30 basil leaves - 1/2 green and 1/2 purple
2 Roma tomatoes
Mozzarella cheese
8 ounces Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 cup port or up to 1/4 cup brown sugar
Olive oil
Optional: White truffle oil

Pour 8 ounces of balsamic vinegar and port (or brown sugar) in small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to allow vinegar to simmer - keep it with soft bubble action, otherwise the vinegar won't reduce. Allow to simmer for 1/2 hour until it reaches a syrup like consistency. While cooking, taste a little to ensure you've reached the desired sweetness. You can also add some herbs if you wish to add to the flavor.


Wash and dry basil.
Slice tomatoes and mozzarella cheese to desired thinness, size and shape.
Arrange basil, tomato and mozzarella on plate.
When the balsamic reduction is finished, allow to cool slightly and drizzle over the salad. Chef Angie recommended a slight touch of white truffle oil on top of the reduction to bring all the flavors together. We tried the salad with and without the truffle oil and liked it equally either way. So, if you don't have truffle oil, don't worry about it! Next time, we might consider drizzle a little olive oil over the salad with the balsamic reduction. However, given the hot humid weather lately, this salad was perfect for dinner!

Bon Apetite!!