Record tomato harvest spurs backyard recipes

Tomatoes are ripening in abundance and home cooks are turning overflow into diverse dishes, from Baked Feta Pasta and Southern Tomato Pie to a TikTok-worthy Tomato Flight. A breadth of tomato-centered recipes follows, including quick salads, baked feta with gnocchi, bruschetta with burrata, and Mediterranean-inspired dips and wraps, highlighting the fruit’s versatility. This summer’s extreme heat and drought slowed ripening, stressed plants, and caused sunburn on fruit, with cherry tomatoes often less affected. The weather dynamics added uncertainty for home growers and also affected other vegetables, shaping harvest expectations. In Vancouver, markets remain in high demand for locally grown tomatoes but face displacement pressures and space constraints that threaten direct-from-farm selling. A home-cook profile ties tomatoes to family flavor with a roasted cherry-tomato and goat cheese pasta recipe, illustrating how overflow can become comforting, satisfying meals.