September 7, 2017 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Tomatoes

Cooking With This Week's Box

We know summer is coming to a close soon and fall is right on its heels.  Next week’s box will likely have a different look than the last several boxes.  This is the last week for melons, cucumbers and zucchini.  Watermelons are close to the end as well.  Hopefully we’ll be able to enjoy tomatoes and peppers for several more weeks, but there will be some new crops landing on next week’s harvest list.  Right now we have tentative harvest plans for leeks and celeriac!  But back to this week’s box.  Lets talk tomatoes.  There is a hearty bag of tomatoes in this week’s box and you’ll find several delicious tomato recipes to consider using for the large tomatoes as well as the little grape or chocolate sprinkles tomatoes in this week’s box.  I’d recommend giving the Tomato Jam (see below) recipe a try.  When you’re making this recipe, take a little time to separate the juicy seed portion from the flesh of the tomatoes.  Use the flesh to make the tomato jam and save the juicy seed portion to make the Tomato Seed Vinaigrette (see below).  These two recipes are very complementary and will leave you with very little waste left over.  The jam is a nice condiment to use on a hot ham and cheese sandwich or spread it on a cracker with cream cheese.  The tomato vinaigrette can be used on salads or drizzled on roasted vegetables or used as a dip.  You’ll still have about a pound of tomatoes remaining after these two recipes.  If you’ve never tried pairing tomatoes and watermelon together, consider doing so this week.  Sam Sifton’s recipe for Tomato and Watermelon Salad is very easy to make and includes just a few ingredients, including feta cheese.

You thought we were done with tomato talk, but not just yet.  We still have those little tomato gems to find a use for!  This week’s newsletter and blog features one of Heidi Swanson’s recipes for Oven-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes (see below).  There are a lot of different ways you can put these to use, but I’m going to use them as a garnish on top of a warm bowl of Melissa Clark’s Fresh Corn Risotto.  You might have a few ears of corn left over, which will be just enough to make this Roasted Red Pepper and Corn Salsa to serve on taco night this week!  Either variety of sweet peppers in this week’s box will work for this recipe and you’ll need your jalapeño for this one too!

Wow, we have had a great year of edamame harvest!  One of our members shared this recipe for Edamame Hummus in our Facebook Group.  This will make for a great lunch item served with carrot sticks and sweet peppers in this week’s box as well as some crackers or pita bread and olives.  Put it all together Bento Box style and feel good about packing in so many different vegetables in one simple meal!  Any extra carrots and edamame will come together in this Edamame and Carrot Salad with Rice Vinegar Dressing.  This is a very simple salad that will come together quickly and go well with these Chicken Teriyaki Kabobs for dinner.  This salad recipe calls for green onions, but thinly sliced red onions will work just fine. 

That brings us to the bottom of this week’s box.  You might still have a little bonus item remaining to find a use for, possibly a little zucchini or cauliflower to add to a frittata or roast up as a side dish for dinner this week.  Start thinking fall vegetables as you get ready for next week’s box.  I’m feeling some soup coming up soon in our future.  Have a great week!
—Chef Andrea 

Vegetable Feature:  Tomatoes! 

Summer isn’t summer without fresh tomatoes! Tomatoes are actually a fruit, referred to by some as a vegetable-fruit.  Technicalities aside, tomatoes are a very diverse crop and are represented by a wide range of sizes from less than 1 ounce to as much as several pounds per tomato!  They are also diverse in colors ranging from white to red to green and may be either a modern hybrid or a traditional heirloom.  I’m not sure anyone really knows how many varieties of tomatoes there are across the world, but I do know that one seed company, Tomato Growers, offers over 500 varieties in their catalog!

Stake and tie method of weaving the
tomato plants to keep them upright.

We have a carefully selected lineup of tomatoes we’ve found do best in our valley.  Especially in a wet year, we can see disease set in early which causes the vines to die before the fruit is fully ripe.  Thus, we mostly plant more disease resistant hybrids and ‘heritage’ tomatoes which have some heirloom genetics in them, but also carry some modern hybrid characteristics which make them more attractive to our growing situation.  We use a stake-and-tie method for our tomatoes where we weave twine around the main stem and vines as the plants grow in order to keep the tomato plant upright and the fruit off the ground.  It’s a pretty labor intensive system, but it helps the foliage dry out faster and makes it easier to pick the tomatoes and keep them clean.  We also consider flavor, texture and color when selecting our varieties.  What makes a good tasting tomato?  Well, I suppose that’s up to every individual, but we look for tomatoes that have a good balance of both acidity and sweetness.  Some varieties, such as gold slicers, tend to be lower acid in general but still have a nice balance of sweetness and good “tomato flavor.”  There are some varieties that look beautiful, but when you taste them they lack actual flavor and are just kind of “blahh.”  Please refer to our blog post from August 27,2015 for pictures of the tomatoes we grow which will help you identify them and figure out what use they are best suited for.

Black Velvet tomato, our preferred variety for
fresh eating and to use on sandwiches.

Tomatoes may be found in cuisine across the globe from Europe to the Middle East, Asia and the Americas.  If you are ever at a loss as to what to do with your tomatoes, take a minute to look around, there are so many different things you can do with them!  Around here, BLT sandwiches are at the top of the list.  We typically reach for black velvet or gold slicer tomatoes for sandwiches because they are the most “fleshy” tomatoes and have a little less juice to run down your arm and make the bread soggy. Farmer Richard also wanted to mention that you don’t have to limit your “BLT” to just those three ingredients.  We often make variations on this popular sandwich that include toppings such as thinly sliced onions, basil leaves, baby arugula or baby kale mix, avocado, and even thinly sliced sweet peppers.  Every variation we’ve tried is excellent! 

Red Riviera tomatoes, excellent for eating fresh or cooking.

Tomato sauce is another popular way to use tomatoes.  There are so many different versions of “tomato sauce” ranging from spicy tomato sauces such as the Italian Desperata sauce that includes jalapeños to cookbook author Marcella Hazan’s popular recipe for buttery tomato sauce that has just four ingredients (tomatoes, butter, onion and salt).   When you are making sauce, it is generally recommended to use a “paste” tomato which is a descriptor for roma tomatoes.  Our Riviera tomato is also recommended for cooking and makes a delicious sauce.  The reason these varieties are often recommended for cooking is two-fold.  First, their flavor is enhanced by cooking and second, they are a more fleshy tomato with less juice in the seed cavities.  The benefit to this is a more concentrated sauce that will cook down faster with less moisture to evaporate out of the sauce.  If you’re planning to just eat your tomatoes fresh, either as a fresh tomato salad or just slices of salted tomatoes, pretty much any tomato will serve you well.  However, we do eat with our eyes so it’s nice to have a variety of colors and textures on a plate. 

Tomatoes pair well with a wide variety of ingredients including herbs such as thyme, oregano, basil and parsley.  They go well with butter, cream, cheese, olive oil, olives and a variety of meats.  Since tomatoes themselves are a fruit, it’s no surprise that they pair well with other fruits such as watermelons, peaches and cucumbers.  Of course, tomatoes pair well with a wide variety of vegetables including peppers, fennel, garlic, onions, greens, eggplant, squash, sweet potatoes, etc. 

Tomatoes are also a popular selection to preserve for use year round.  There are a variety of ways you can preserve tomatoes.  You could do something such as the tomato jam recipe in this week’s newsletter or make salsa and can it.  Of course you can also can tomato juice, diced tomatoes or make tomato sauce and can or freeze that as well.  I often don’t have a lot of time during tomato season for complicated preservation, so I tend to go the route of either freezing tomatoes whole or freezing tomato puree.  If you want to freeze tomatoes whole, simply wash them and cut out the core.  Pop them into a freezer bag and put them in the freezer.  When you thaw them, they will collapse and be juicy, but that makes them perfect for using in soups, chili, sauces, etc.  You can choose to either pull the skins off before you use them or I usually just blend them into the sauce.  For my quick method frozen sauce, I just chop up any extra tomatoes I have, skins and all, and cook them down on the stovetop in a wide pan.  Once they have cooked down, I cool them and puree them in the blender.  Pour the puree into freezer bags and lay them flat to freeze into “pillows.”  In the winter, when I have more time, I pull out the puree and turn it into spaghetti sauce, etc. 

Enjoy these fresh tomatoes while we have them.  If it looks like we’re going to get an early frost, we may have to pick green tomatoes and get creative with ways to use them! 

Sweet & Hot Tomato Jam

Tomato Jam early stage.

Yield 1 quart

2 pounds ripe tomatoes

1 Tbsp honey

Zest and juice of ½ of a lemon

1 jalapeño pepper, sliced paper thin

1 ½ tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

½ tsp red pepper flakes

1. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil.  Set up an ice bath near the stovetop.  Using a paring knife, score the tomatoes with an X on the bottom and carefully drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for 30 seconds, then transfer to the ice bath.
2. Peel the skin off the tomatoes then chop them and place in a medium saucepan with the honey, lemon zest, lemon juice, jalapeño, salt, sugar, and red pepper flakes.  Stir and bring to a simmer.  
3. Clip a candy thermometer to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture registers 220°F (it should have a thick, syrupy consistency).  This may take 1 ½ to 2 hours.
4. Put the jam in a jar or use immediately.  It will keep covered tightly in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe borrowed from America—Farm To Table, by Mario Batalia and Jim Webster.

The author offers this commentary:  “It takes a little time to make, but this is a condiment I will put on anything from Parmigiano-Reggiano, to an omelet, to fried chicken.  I must warn you about its addictive properties…So beware, and stock up.”

Tomato Jam cooked down.

Use this jam as a spread on a grilled chicken sandwich or grilled ham and cheese.  Spread cream cheese on a cracker or toast and top with a spoonful of the jam.  Use this jam as a dipping sauce for egg rolls, sweet potato fries, or any other fried goodie such as onion rings or fried zucchini.  Serve it alongside corn fritters or pancakes.

Tomato Seed Vinaigrette

Yield:  approximately 1 cup

3 Tbsp sherry vinegar

1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 ½ tsp dried

1 Tbsp mustard seeds

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 very ripe large tomatoes

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, thyme, mustard seeds, and red pepper flakes.  
2. Halve the tomatoes crosswise and gently but firmly squeeze out the seeds and juices into the bowl with the vinegar mixture—be sure to get most if not all of them.  (Reserve the tomato flesh for another use).  
3. Whisk together, then continue whisking while you drizzle in the oil to form a viscous emulsion.  Season to your liking with salt, pepper and/or a bit more vinegar as needed.

Recipe borrowed from America--- Farm To Table by Mario Batali and Jim Webster.

Oven Roasted Cherry/Grape Tomatoes

Yield:  About 1 cup

1 pint cherry, grape or other small tomatoes

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp natural cane sugar or maple syrup

Fine-grain sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F with an oven rack positioned in the top third of the oven.
2. Slice each tomato in half and place in a large baking dish or on a rimmed baking sheet. 
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sugar, and a scant ½ tsp salt.  Pour the mixture over the tomatoes and gently toss until everything is well coated.  Arrange the tomatoes cut-side up and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, until the tomatoes shrink a bit and start to caramelize around the edges.
4. If you aren’t using them immediately, let the tomatoes cool, then scrape them into a clean glass jar along with any olive oil that was left in the dish.  Sometimes I top off the jar with an added splash of olive oil.  The tomatoes will keep for about 1 week in the refrigerator.

This recipe was borrowed from Heidi Swanson’s book, Super Natural Every Day.  These oven roasted  tomatoes can be used in a wide variety of ways.  Serve them as a topping for pan-seared fish or chicken along with a handful of chopped fresh herbs.  Spread fresh goat cheese on a piece of toasted French bread and then top it off with these oven-roasted tomatoes and freshly ground black peppers.  Mix these tomatoes into a bowl of cooked pasta and garnish it with freshly grated cheese.  Use these to garnish soup, such as a creamy sweet corn chowder.

Tomato 101

by Andrea Yoder

Summer isn’t summer without fresh tomatoes!  With thousands of varieties to choose from, I’ll admit, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to decide which ones to grow.   We carefully select our varieties based on characteristics including flavor, size, texture, color and disease resistance.  In this week’s blog, we’d like to introduce you to some of the varieties we are currently picking. But first, let’s cover a few tomato basics.

We start all our tomatoes in the greenhouse in May. Actually, we plant two crops about 2-3 weeks apart. Our goal is to get a crop out early in the season after we’re free and clear of the threat of frost. We put the second crop in so we can start harvesting from it when the first one is starting to wind down. This way we can extend our tomato season as long as possible. Tomato plants can grow very quickly in warm temperatures, so it is important to regulate temperature in the greenhouse to try to achieve slow, steady growth. If we do this correctly, we’ll end up with a shorter plant that has a strong stem to support it instead of a leggy, tall, weak plant that takes longer to get established when transplanted into the field.

 It is becoming more common for growers to grow tomatoes in hoop houses which provide more protection for the plants. Unfortunately we don’t have 1.5-2 acres of hoop houses to grow in this way, so we implement the best practices we can into our field production system. We plant all our tomatoes on raised beds covered with plastic mulch which allows water to drain better in heavy rains so the roots don’t get too saturated. Plastic mulch also helps to absorb more heat to warm the soil, especially important in a cool spring when the plants are first being established.

Since the beds are covered with plastic, we have to provide a means for irrigating the plants. We run drip tapes under the bed. Richard has a moisture sensor he puts in the field and checks it frequently so he knows when the plants need to be watered. It is important to provide tomatoes with even watering so the plant isn’t stressed and so the fruit doesn’t crack when it is ripening.

 If you’ve never seen our tomato fields, I must say they are a beautiful picture of artistry. We have chosen to implement a modified “Florida Stake & Weave” method of production. This means we put wooden and metal posts in between the plants and then use twine to tie the tomatoes up. The twine is woven around the posts with the plant in between the strings to create a structure to hold the plant up as it grows. We call this tying tomatoes and usually do this about 6 times for each crop. The benefit of this system is that it lifts the plants up off the ground so the fruit stays clean and isn’t subject to rotting on the ground. It also allows better airflow through the dense foliage and helps the plants to dry out more quickly. Bacteria, fungi, and molds thrive in moist environments. We try to eliminate that “perfect” environment for disease to start and spread.

We never work in the tomato field until the plants are dry or we increase the potential to spread disease from one plant throughout the entire field. In addition to the plastic covered beds, we also put straw mulch in between the beds to prevent dirt from splashing up on the plants or fruit. There is a lot of work involved in growing tomatoes, but the end result is well worth all of the necessary steps that are taken.

Tomatoes may be considered a staple food in many American’s diets.  From a culinary perspective, tomatoes are used all around the world.  They are a New World (South America) crop thought to have been spread to Old World Europe by Spanish explorers.  They have since made their way all around the world and are included in the cuisine of many cultures including Mediterranean, Spanish, Italian, French, South American, Central American, Asian and American cultures.  They pair well with a variety of other ingredients including garlic, onions, basil, mint, oregano, thyme, cilantro, olives, olive oil, cheese, cucumbers, peppers, lemon, seafood, curry, etc.  The key to tomatoes is to keep it simple!  This week’s blog features two different simple sauce recipes, one more European in nature and the other represents a use for tomatoes in Indian cuisine. 

Many choose to preserve tomatoes for use in the off-season.  Drying, freezing and canning are all options and there are a lot of resources available to guide you in your efforts.  One of the easiest ways to preserve tomatoes is to simply cut them into chunks, skin and all, and cook them down in a pot with a wide opening to allow the moisture to cook off and thicken the tomatoes.  Once they are cooked down, cool them slightly, puree in a blender and freeze the puree in freezer bags or containers.  This simple, basic tomato puree can then be turned into spaghetti sauce, chili, tomato soup, etc. 

Before we look at the individual varieties, I want to make a comment about storing tomatoes.  The ideal storage temperature for tomatoes is about 50-55°F.  At temperatures less than this, tomatoes will suffer chill injury that affects the texture of the skin and flesh as well as robbing the tomato of its flavor over time.  If you receive some tomatoes that are still a little on the green side, it’s best to ripen them on your kitchen counter and eat them or preserve them as soon as they are ready.  We do not recommend storing tomatoes in the refrigerator for more than a few days at most.

So what is tomato flavor?  The flavor characteristics of a good tomato are actually an element of the balance between sugars and acid.  A tomato with good flavor will have a balance of sweet and acid.  Low acid tomatoes have a more mild flavor.  If the acid level in a tomato is high, it can throw off the balance.  Texture is also somewhat involved in this flavor conversation.  Some tomatoes are more fleshy and thus have a more firm texture while others may have softer flesh and a larger seed cavity.  The nice thing about having so many tomato varieties to choose from is that you can tailor how you choose to use the different varieties in ways that best fit the tomato and allow it to shine!  It also makes for a more interesting plate when you can combine different colors & textures of tomatoes.

Alright, let’s dive into the different varieties and learn more about each.

Red Slicer Tomato

Red Slicers:  This is one of the most common tomatoes, an old standby.  The varieties we grow have a nice balance of sweetness and acidity.  As far as texture goes, they are fleshy enough to hold up on a sandwich, yet still with enough moisture and acidity to create a pleasant eating experience.  These tomatoes are kind of an all-purpose tomato that is excellent on sandwiches, in salads, used for salsa or cooked into a sauce.

Golden Slicer Tomato

Golden Slicers:  Our golden varieties have been chosen specifically because they are good yielders, but also because they have a deep orange color, consistent sizing and a bit of sweetness.  In general they have more flavor than many gold varieties which are known to be lower in acid.  These are similar in use and texture to a red slicer tomato and add a beautiful contrast to a tomato plate.

Japanese Pink Tomato

Japanese Pink:  The Japanese certainly know
how to do tomatoes.  This is another all-purpose tomato that has a nice balance of acidity and a discernible sweetness and is our top vote for “all-around”  tomato.  It’s a bit softer than a red or gold slicer, yet still able to hold up nicely on a sandwich.  The reason the pink tomatoes are pink is because the skin is transparent allowing you to see the true color of the flesh.  Peel a piece off and hold it up to the light…you can see for yourself!

Black Velvet Tomato

Black Velvet:  This has become our favorite black tomato in recent years.  It’s classified as a “Heritage” variety which means it’s an improved heirloom.  The fruit is rosy mahogany when ripe and will always have a slight greeness on the shoulders.  It’s a very fleshy tomato and will never get really soft like many other tomatoes, hence the squeeze test is not a good way to check ripeness.  You’ll know this tomato is ready to eat when the bottom starts to get a nice red blush that extends down the sides of the tomato.  The flesh inside has a pretty pink blush with a nice smooth texture and a sweet, tangy flavor.  It makes for a stunning display on a tomato platter or in salads.

Red Riviera Tomato

Red Riviera:  This is another improved heirloom variety that is a descendant of the Italian oxheart.  It has somewhat of a pleated pear appearance with deep red skin and flesh when ripe.  Its flavor is mild when raw, but the flavor really shines when cooked into sauces.  It’s a very popular tomato in Italy and we’d have to agree it’s a keeper.

Orange Russian Heart Tomato

Orange Russian Heart:  This is a true heirloom that is also an oxheart type of tomato.  This tomato is a beautiful golden yellow color with streaks of red on the outside as well as the flesh inside.  You’ll recognize this tomato by its heart shape with fruit weighing anywhere from 8 oz to well over 1 pound! It’s a very mild, low acid tomato with a hint of sweetness.  It’s best eaten fresh in salads, on sandwiches or to adorn a tomato platter.

Solar Flare Tomato

Solar Flare:  This is a new heirloom tomato we’re trying this year.  It’s a beautiful rounded red tomato with faint gold stripes that shimmer in the light.  The flesh is smooth, juicy and sweet.  This is a great tomato for fresh eating.

Great White Tomato

Great White:  This is another new heirloom trial this year, but unfortunately it may not have made the cut in the area of disease resistance.  Nonetheless, we’re enjoying this unique white tomato.  It is a large, white beefsteak tomato that isn’t truly white but rather a pale yellow with hints of red blush on the bottom.  It’s a mild, low-acid tomato that doesn’t strike you as much of anything remarkable while you’re eating it, however slow down and pay attention to the aftertaste that lingers on your palate as this is where the flavor of this tomato stands out.

Red & Yellow Grape Tomatoes

Red & Yellow Grape Tomatoes:  This is a standard pop-in-your mouth tomato, but within this class there can be a lot of variation in flavor and texture.  This year we’re doing some red grape trials for one of our major seed companies.  One of the trials is being bred for higher levels of lycopene, which is very noticeable in the bright, deep red color it displays when fully ripe.  It also has proven to be very tasty and sweet with a more complex flavor profile than many grape tomatoes.

Sungold Tomatoes

Sungold & Sunorange Tomatoes:  Those who know the sungold tomato appreciate it as one of the sweetest, most flavorful tomatoes on the market.  The downside of a sungold is its thin skin which makes it prone to splitting.  This year we grew a variety very similar to sungold, except that it has a thicker skin.  I have to admit it tastes pretty darn good, although sungold still has a slight advantage on flavor.

Roma Tomatoes

Roma Tomatoes:  Often described as a plum or paste tomato, romas are most often used for making sauce, salsa and preserving.  The reason they are used for sauce and such is because they are a fleshier tomato so you get more bang for your buck and less water.  This makes a nice sauce without spending more than a day in the kitchen.

Simple Tomato Sauce

This simple recipe is included in Alice Water’s cookbook, Chez Panisse Café Cookbook.

Yield: About 2 Cups
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced fine
3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
2 pounds sweet, ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped
1 tsp salt
Bouquet garni (bundle) of fresh parsley, thyme and basil sprigs

1. Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed nonreactive saucepan over medium heat.  Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and let it sizzle for half a minute.  Stir in the chopped tomatoes and salt, and add the herb sprigs, bundled together with kitchen twine.
2. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the flame to low.  Simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes;  it will thicken as it cooks.  Remove and discard the herb bundle. Taste for salt and adjust.  The sauce will keep for 5 or 6 days refrigerated.

Note:  For a more refined sauce, pass through a food mill or puree in a blender.

Tomato Chutney

This recipe was featured in Cooking Light Magazine in 2003. It was a contribution by Veenu Chopra of New Delhi, India. She included this note with the recipe: “This recipe for tomato chutney was taught to me by my mother. It’s been a favorite since childhood.  An easy, everyday sauce, the chutney’s best features are that it’s light and that it’s a good accompaniment to steamed rice and any curry.”  

Yield:  About 2 cups

Cooking oil, as needed

2 cups finely chopped onion

½ tsp finely chopped garlic

½ tsp finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

4 cups chopped, seeded, peeled tomatoes

¼ cup raisins

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp ground coriander seeds

1 tsp finely chopped fresh mint

1 tsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

½ tsp salt

½ tsp paprika

¼ tsp ground red pepper

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with enough oil added to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.  Add onion, garlic and ginger;  saute 6 minutes or until onion begins to brown.  Add tomato and remaining ingredients, stirring well to combine.
2. Bring to a simmer;  cook 17 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates (chutney will be thick).