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🐝 Too Many Tomatoes

🐝 Too Many Tomatoes

Butterfly Effect Lands in Greenport, Flock Cameras Take Another Hit, Your Late Summer Tomato Solution

Thomas Loncar
September 04, 2026

Together With Tim O’Keefe

Good Morning, North Fork! Welcome to Labor Day weekend: when three days somehow feels like both a luxurious amount of time and nowhere near enough.

In today’s North Fork Buzz:

Butterfly Effect Lands in Greenport
Flock Cameras Take Another Hit
Your Late Summer Tomato Solution

Ready, Set, Go!

The Lowdown

Butterfly Effect Lands in Greenport 🦋

The Butterfly Effect Project is spreading its wings a little farther east, with a new Greenport chapter launching this fall through a partnership with the North Fork Arts Center.

The youth mentorship program got its start in the Riverhead School District and has since grown to more than 30 chapters across Suffolk County, serving more than 800 students. Its programs meet every other week and focus on confidence, healthy relationships, self-care, community involvement and critical thinking.

The Greenport chapter will make its home at the North Fork Arts Center and will be open to kids from first grade through high school.

Before things get rolling, they need a few grown ups, they’re looking for two ambassadors to help lead the chapter, plus volunteers from Greenport and around the North Fork.

Get the full story 👉 East End Beacon

Flock Cameras Take Another Hit 📸

Southold’s controversial license plate readers have taken another beating.

Police found three Flock cameras vandalized on Aug. 25, with wires cut and lenses cracked. Two were along Sound Avenue near Aldrich Lane in Laurel, while a third was at Carroll Avenue and Middle Road in Peconic.

One of the Laurel cameras had actually recorded a “hit” the day before it was damaged, alerting police to a plate that was either stolen or suspended.

Southold currently has 11 Flock cameras, and police continue to defend them as useful for investigating crimes and locating missing people. Critics, meanwhile, have raised concerns about privacy, Fourth Amendment rights and how the data is handled. ($)

Get the full story 👉 Suffolk Times

Photo of the Week

📸 submitted by Andrew Raymond

Tag @NorthForkBuzz or email us at [email protected] to get your photos in The Buzz!

Foodie Friday 🍽

Your Late Summer Tomato Solution 🍅

It’s late summer, which means a lot of North Forkers are running into a very delicious problem: too many tomatoes and no idea what to do with them. Whether you grow your own, pick them up at a local farmstand, or, like us, have incredibly generous neighbors with a green thumb, chances are you have an abundance of tomatoes right about now.

For this week’s Foodie Friday, we’re sharing a recipe that was passed along to us by a dear friend years ago and has become one of our go-tos for a late summer appetizer or snack. It’s an easy, delicious way to put all those beautiful summer tomatoes to work.

🍅 Roasted Tomato Cheddar Tart with Ranch Seasoning

Recipe by Tieghan Gerard of Half Baked Harvest

This savory tart combines flaky puff pastry with sharp cheddar, roasted heirloom tomatoes and a fresh ranch inspired seasoning made with herbs, garlic and a little cayenne.

The tomatoes get beautifully roasted while the cheddar gets crispy around the edges, and the whole thing is finished with fresh basil and a dollop of sour cream, yogurt or crème fraîche. It’s an easy appetizer that feels a little fancy but comes together in about 40 minutes.

We’re sharing the recipe below, but be sure to check out the original recipe from Half Baked Harvest for the full details and photos:
Roasted Tomato Cheddar Tart with Ranch Seasoning — Half Baked Harvest

Ingredients

For the tart:

3–4 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 tablespoons crème fraîche, plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
1½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Fresh basil, for serving

For the ranch seasoning:

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh chives
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
2 cloves garlic, grated
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Prep the tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Arrange the tomato slices on a cutting board, sprinkle with salt and let them sit for 15 minutes to draw out excess moisture.
Make the ranch seasoning: While the tomatoes sit, combine the parsley, chives, dill, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Assemble the tart: Place the thawed puff pastry on the prepared baking sheet and prick it all over with a fork. Spread the crème fraîche, yogurt or sour cream over the pastry, leaving a small border around the edges. Sprinkle with cheddar, arrange the tomatoes on top and generously sprinkle with the ranch seasoning. Drizzle with olive oil.
Bake: Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the cheese is melted and crispy around the edges.
Serve: Serve warm or at room temperature with fresh basil and a dollop of crème fraîche, yogurt or sour cream.

Recipe credit: Adapted for presentation by North Fork Buzz from Roasted Tomato Cheddar Tart with Ranch Seasoning by Tieghan Gerard of Half Baked Harvest. Please visit the original recipe at Half Baked Harvest for the complete recipe and additional notes. And shoutout to Kate Conkright for sharing this recipe with us!

And if you’re lucky enough to have more tomatoes than you know what to do with right now, consider this your sign to make this tart. Pick up some beautiful tomatoes at your favorite North Fork farmstand, grab a sheet of puff pastry and invite a few friends over. Because honestly, there are few things better than stretching out these last days of summer with good food, good company and a kitchen full of local produce.

Now we want to hear from you! What’s your favorite way to use up all those extra tomatoes this time of year? Send us your go to recipes, tricks and tomato creations. We may just have to share some of our favorites in a future Foodie Friday!

Nothing in this section is sponsored. They’re just fun things you need to know. I’ll always let you know when something is sponsored

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THANKS!

Thanks for reading the North Fork Buzz today. Like what you read? Send it to someone who has way too many tomatoes.

Tom Loncar- Publisher
Nicole Loncar- Editor + Partnerships