All that is Good

September and October are my favorite months, and the Fall is my favorite season. Some of the best vegetables start to show up in late August and early September as the weather starts to cool. I never grow tomatoes because they take up too much space in the garden and you have to wait the better part of four months after you plant them before you cap reap the harvest. And by the beginning of September, if you live close to a market, the stalls are overflowing with tomatoes of all kinds.

In fact, through the month of September bowls of tomatoes are a permanent fixture in our kitchen - along with several squadrons of fruit flies.

The other great thing about September is that as all of these tomatoes are coming into their prime, the vendors are cultivating the last of their basil - so for little more than 25 cents you can take home enough basil to plant a small hedge.

And there's nothing like the combination of tomatoes and basil. During the week, when I get particularly rushed for dinner, one of my favorite "saves" is a faux brushetta:

• a 3 inch slice of baguette - sliced in half lengthwise - toasted - buttered with garlic butter; topped with two slices of tomato; some chopped basil; topped again with a generous shaving of strong cheddar - sprinkled with fresh ground pepper - and heated in the oven till the cheese melts; served on a Wednesday night with a full-bodied red... wine, and you'd think it was the weekend.

The other thing that I love is a simple tomato soup. I've written up one of my favorite soups in My Recipes section (see Tomato-Basil Bisque)- this is one that I'll throw together with a salad, some bread and, again, the Red.

Now that makes the end of summer something to look forward to!