Fall is here, but our garden has not gotten the message yet. While it is nice to have tomatoes year-round, nothing beats the flavor of a fresh tomato, whether it is from your garden or a local farm market. They keep turning red, though the end is in sight. Fortunately, we still have a chance to enjoy them before they’re gone.

One of our “go to” favorites is the Caprese salad, a fancy name for tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella. Arrange tomato slices on a platter with slices of fresh mozzarella, tuck in some basil leaves, then finish with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

During our cheesemaking class last week, our guests learned to make fresh mozzarella, and I reminded them that serving this salad is the perfect way to show it off. No worries if you don’t have homemade mozzarella, though. Many stores have packages of fresh mozzarella.

As for the rest of this season’s tomatoes, here are a few things to remember:

• If you’re clearing out a patch before the frost, you may end up with more than you know what to do with. Canning is, of course, an option with multiple recipes, including pasta sauce or salsa.

• Keep fresh tomatoes on the counter, not in the refrigerator. The cold hurts the flavor and changes the texture.

• Set them out stem side down, not touching one another.

• When you need a tomato, use the softest one first.

Hold on to the flavor of summer for another week or two, before we all settle in for a long winter of boring, store-bought tomatoes.

Do you have a homesteading question for Angel? Send it to [email protected], and you might see it answered in a future From Scratch column.