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Let the season linger

Is anyone surprised that tomatoes are the world's most popular fruit? Farmers and gardeners alike grow them more than any other fruit or vegetable, and few ingredients show up more consistently in the recipes of cultures around the globe.

It's not hard to see why: From sauces and salsas to soups, salads, and appetizers, tomatoes are incredibly versatile, complementing a wide variety of foods and flavors.

Organic tomatoes are especially nutritionally potent, delivering vitamin C, vitamin K manganese, beta-carotene, and fiber. Canned tomatoes shouldn't be shunned, either: Heat from the canning process doubles their lycopene content—a carotenoid that may help prevent prostate and breast cancer.

During Muir Glen Organic's harvest event last August, I relished the chance to bite into juicy, vine-ripened tomatoes picked fresh from the fields at D.A. Rominger & Sons in the heart of California's Sacramento Valley—one of eight certified organic farms Muir Glen uses to produce their delicious canned tomatoes.

Learn how to use your own late-summer harvest of heirlooms in tasty new ways with these recipes from Muir Glen's kitchen, tested and savored in our own.

Take a look!