Fresh, Juicy, Local, Organic Tomatoes
“There is nothing better than picking up sun-warmed tomatoes and smelling them, feeling them and scrutinizing their shiny skins for imperfections, dreaming of ways to serve them.”
👆 That is a fact.
Farmshare Austin held its 3rd Annual Tomato You-Pick at the farm, where Brandon and I picked five pounds of gorgeous organic tomatoes. The Tomato You-Pick is the farm’s summer celebration and a way for folks to come out, learn about Farmshare’s mission, all while experiencing the joy of picking an amazing variety of organic tomatoes.
We filled our box with everything from Japanese Black Trifele to Cherokee Purple to Striped German tomatoes, and I also discovered my new favorite variety: the Black Cherry Tomato.
“Beautiful black cherries look like large, dusky purple-brown grapes; they have that rich flavor that makes black tomatoes famous. Large vines yield very well; very unique and delicious.”
With so many tomatoes, I probably could’ve made any number of dishes with them. But I chose to keep it simple and make tomato and burrata salads. (Yes, “salads”—plural. I made this for three days until we had eaten every ripe tomato.) I cut up all my tomatoes, tossed in farm basil, drizzled them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, seasoned with salt and pepper, and plopped a huge burrata ball right on top. I toasted sourdough bread to scoop up all the tasty bits and sop up the juices. Mmm…
To me, the tomato salad is the ultimate summer dish. There’s sunshine in every juicy bite; and, if you allow yourself to chew slowly enough, I swear you can taste every single nourishing thing that went into growing that tomato. The sun, the soil, the water, the energy of the people who tended to its growth. ☀️ 🌱 🌧 🍅 💚