For some, the last week of August is all about celebrating Labor Day. But it also offers some of the season’s best bounty from the garden.
In the Mid-Atlantic region, heirloom tomatoes are in their glory, smack in the middle of their May-to-November growing season. Unlike their grocery store hybrid cousins, heirlooms have developed over hundreds of years. With colors from white to brown and black, and sizes from grape to beefsteak, devotees say heirlooms provide the quintessential tomato experience.
A visit to the Jones Falls Farmers Market on a Sunday morning reveals stalls filled with unusual varieties. The Reid’s Orchard stall greets customers with a cornucopia of 64 different varieties .
“We started having an interest in it because people had gotten so used to those horrible, round and artificially flavored tomatoes,” said Kathy Reid, proprietor of the Buchanan Valley Farm. “We’ve had a lot of fun over the years introducing people to the different colors and different shapes.”
Reid likes to mix tomatoes, and she will serve such tomatoes as Jaune Flamme, Emerald Evergreen, Black Ethiopian and Cherokee Purple in her salads.
At the Richfield Farm stand, shoppers can find at least 25 varieties from the red-and-yellow-streaked Mr. Stripey to Green Zebras and Black Cherries. “Heirlooms are increasingly popular because “people want to remember what tomatoes tasted like when they were kids,” said owner Ian Seletzky.
Celebration salsa
4 large heirloom tomatoes such as Rainbow, Green Zebra, Mr. Stripey, Cherokee Purple, coarsely chopped
2 tomatillos, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 lime, juiced
1/4 tsp. cumin
In a medium bowl, mix the tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapeno, onion, cilantro, lime juice and cumin, stirring carefully. Add salt to taste. Do not refrigerate but serve immediately. For a spicier salsa, use habanero or serrano chiles instead.
* For more recipes, go to charmcityfoodie.blogspot.com
