 Tons of Tasty Tomatoes
from Cooking Up A Story
July 07, 2008
Tons of tomatoes, and over 70 different varieties are represented at this tomato fest. These farm fresh tomatoes have character, beauty, and yes, even charm. Director’s Journal It was back in May. Or maybe it was June. I passed by a group of folks selling plants for a community fundraiser. It was a good cause and I was looking for some geraniums to plant out back, which they had. There were also a handful of tomato starters. Should I give this a try? I love homegrown tomatoes. I knew I didn’t have the time for a whole garden, but maybe one tomato plant would work. There wasn’t a varietal name attached to it, or the others. I took the nameless home along with a small geranium, and planted both. It was wise of me not to plant a whole bunch of tomatoes. With my schedule, I was happy to coerce the few I got from the plant. There was one surprise. I expected it to be red. And it is definitely orange [see photo]. I have no idea it’s namesake. Does anyone out there know? Hello? My one plant (with one ripe tomato) was not going to satiate my taste for tomatoes—especially when my inner clock said—HEY! It’s time for tomatoes! So what a great opportunity it was to go visit the local farmer’s market and experience a Tomato Tasting. I got there about 8:30am, as the plates were being filled with cut samples. The morning light filtered through the tall leafy trees and buildings surrounding the market. The light was beautiful and so were the colors of all the different kinds of tomatoes. Colors and types I had never seen before. Soon folks were lining up, equipped with toothpicks and pencils. Poke, taste, rate. Jab, taste, exclaim. Pick, taste, pick, taste, oooh, pick, taste, hmmm, move on. There was a quiet symphony of sounds stirring in the background as I filmed the activity and lushness of colors. What a great way to celebrate one of my favorites of summer.
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