I call for plum tomatoes because the local tomato season is over in the Northeast, and plum tomatoes are the best alternative.

Their time is short and furious, like tomato season in Minnesota.

Good bruschetta beyond the outer reaches of tomato season is always a good omen.

(Now that the tomato season is coming to an end, the soft overripe ones on the market are excellent for sauces.)

As there are so few tricks to stretch out the tomato season, I like to preserve a batch.

For starters, the mozzarella and tomato salad did justice to the tomato season.

"Our tomato season is ending here, so I'll have to make do with what I can get from elsewhere," he said.

We are right on the cusp of the tomato season.

The tomato season is, of course, much longer in more southern Naples than in more northern Bologna.

Once the tomato season is over in the autumn, you can spend a weekend learning about dates instead.