Tomato festival
Aug. 29th, 2005 10:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magidYesterday was Red Fire Farm's tomato festival, which I've been excited about since I heard about it. So we (Queue, Z, and I) headed west to have tomato-y goodness. There were obstacles on the way. The Pike was extremely traffickus, backed up to full stops. We debated, trying to figure out how big a problem it was, then ducked off the Pike to go an exit or two on more local roads. Amazingly, there was still heavy traffic when we got back on, miles later, but at least it was moving some. And it started to rain, not ideal for a farm festival. But we persevered, and I'm glad we did.
First we went to the tomato tasting. I don't think there were all 60 varieties the farm grows available, but many of them. The Super Sweet 100s were outstanding, tiny spheres of tomato candy, totally irresistable. The other highlight for me was the Striped German, though there were a number of others that were quite yummy as well. I wish I'd written down all the names, which have a magic of their own.
Next up was a talk about raising tomatoes, which was in the barn. Unfortunately, there wasn't a projector, so the pictures were passed around as Ryan talked about soil nutrition and options for staking tomatoes, as well as the difference between determinate and indeterminate varieties, cover crops to grow before tomatoes to enrich the soil, and so on. The rain drumming on the roof and the people walking through the barn were aural distractions, and the Jabba the Scarecrow and rows and rows of garlic hanging up were visual distractions. (At first I thought the garlic was some kind of odd fleece, seemingly puffy with roots and stems. When I realized it was all garlic, it surprised me, and I started thinking of roasted garlic, and all sorts of other garlic dishes.)
When the distractions were too much, we slipped away and looked at the stands outside. Most were local vendors, featuring aprons, or creams, or scented soy candles (I usually find scented candles far too cloying, but these frangrances were true. The lily of the valley, the lemongrass, the hot cocoa were all just right.). One place had information by Massachusetts ' Agriculture in the Classroom program. Fascinating stuff, actually.
And then I bought food. I got tomatoes, both Super Sweet 100s and Striped Germans (hoping to replicate the glory that was Friday of roasted Striped Germans; it was totally amazing, caramelized just a bit, sweet, a bit hot from the pepper, just excellent), resisting the Sungolds, the brown cherry tomatoes (name eluding me), the Cherokees, and so on. I realized how chilled I'd gotten when some of the other vegetables called out to me to make soup. So I got an onion, some Yukon Gold potatoes, a bunch of leeks, and a butternut squash for a thick soup. I resisted the local honey, but succumbed to the eggs, getting the last dozen in the case, which range from white, to greenish white, through a variety of beiges and tans to the usual brown. So pretty.
And then it was time to go home. It was still raining, and the Pike was still slow, and the news continued to report on Katrina (Thank goodness the winds aren't still 175 mph, but it's bad enough; I hope... well, I hope it's a minimal as it can be, since it sounds like it's going to land at New Orleans no matter what. Though something about hearing that people were sheltering at the Superdome made me laugh.). We took Rte 9 as soon as we could. A slower road in general, but much it's so much nicer to be moving steadily at 40 or 50 mph in between stoplights than to be stuck in a traffic jam of unknown proportions. It's pretty, with lots of green, and some historic houses. The clouds were impressive, some drifting through valleys, or against the darker clouds above. And I learned that Lucy Stone was born in West Brookfield. Not that I knew who she was, but having a sign there inspired me to Google her this morning.
Mostly avoiding the Pike meant a longer drive home, though, and a later day than planned. I got home late, ravenous, and had a snack before making the soup (now a bit less needed since I wasn't chilled, and the weather at home hadn't included any rain at all, apparently), and reusing the fruit roasted with turkey for baking another turkey thigh. And with the longer cooking time, the flavors all melded together much more coherently than before. I'd started with onion, (vampire) garlic, peaches, ginger watermelon pickles, mango, two hot peppers, and freshly-squeezed orange juice. Friday night, it had seemed a bit too spicy and distinct, but now everything blended into very spicy caramelized sweetness with turkey that was amazing.
Best license plate of the day: B8HOVEN
This morning I found out why a single accident fubar'd the Pike all day yesterday: idiots had been racing and caused a crash that affected both directions. The people hurt were not the jerks who'd been racing, and one of the people left the scene of the accident without identifying zhirself (in a BMW).
First we went to the tomato tasting. I don't think there were all 60 varieties the farm grows available, but many of them. The Super Sweet 100s were outstanding, tiny spheres of tomato candy, totally irresistable. The other highlight for me was the Striped German, though there were a number of others that were quite yummy as well. I wish I'd written down all the names, which have a magic of their own.
Next up was a talk about raising tomatoes, which was in the barn. Unfortunately, there wasn't a projector, so the pictures were passed around as Ryan talked about soil nutrition and options for staking tomatoes, as well as the difference between determinate and indeterminate varieties, cover crops to grow before tomatoes to enrich the soil, and so on. The rain drumming on the roof and the people walking through the barn were aural distractions, and the Jabba the Scarecrow and rows and rows of garlic hanging up were visual distractions. (At first I thought the garlic was some kind of odd fleece, seemingly puffy with roots and stems. When I realized it was all garlic, it surprised me, and I started thinking of roasted garlic, and all sorts of other garlic dishes.)
When the distractions were too much, we slipped away and looked at the stands outside. Most were local vendors, featuring aprons, or creams, or scented soy candles (I usually find scented candles far too cloying, but these frangrances were true. The lily of the valley, the lemongrass, the hot cocoa were all just right.). One place had information by Massachusetts ' Agriculture in the Classroom program. Fascinating stuff, actually.
And then I bought food. I got tomatoes, both Super Sweet 100s and Striped Germans (hoping to replicate the glory that was Friday of roasted Striped Germans; it was totally amazing, caramelized just a bit, sweet, a bit hot from the pepper, just excellent), resisting the Sungolds, the brown cherry tomatoes (name eluding me), the Cherokees, and so on. I realized how chilled I'd gotten when some of the other vegetables called out to me to make soup. So I got an onion, some Yukon Gold potatoes, a bunch of leeks, and a butternut squash for a thick soup. I resisted the local honey, but succumbed to the eggs, getting the last dozen in the case, which range from white, to greenish white, through a variety of beiges and tans to the usual brown. So pretty.
And then it was time to go home. It was still raining, and the Pike was still slow, and the news continued to report on Katrina (Thank goodness the winds aren't still 175 mph, but it's bad enough; I hope... well, I hope it's a minimal as it can be, since it sounds like it's going to land at New Orleans no matter what. Though something about hearing that people were sheltering at the Superdome made me laugh.). We took Rte 9 as soon as we could. A slower road in general, but much it's so much nicer to be moving steadily at 40 or 50 mph in between stoplights than to be stuck in a traffic jam of unknown proportions. It's pretty, with lots of green, and some historic houses. The clouds were impressive, some drifting through valleys, or against the darker clouds above. And I learned that Lucy Stone was born in West Brookfield. Not that I knew who she was, but having a sign there inspired me to Google her this morning.
Mostly avoiding the Pike meant a longer drive home, though, and a later day than planned. I got home late, ravenous, and had a snack before making the soup (now a bit less needed since I wasn't chilled, and the weather at home hadn't included any rain at all, apparently), and reusing the fruit roasted with turkey for baking another turkey thigh. And with the longer cooking time, the flavors all melded together much more coherently than before. I'd started with onion, (vampire) garlic, peaches, ginger watermelon pickles, mango, two hot peppers, and freshly-squeezed orange juice. Friday night, it had seemed a bit too spicy and distinct, but now everything blended into very spicy caramelized sweetness with turkey that was amazing.
Best license plate of the day: B8HOVEN
This morning I found out why a single accident fubar'd the Pike all day yesterday: idiots had been racing and caused a crash that affected both directions. The people hurt were not the jerks who'd been racing, and one of the people left the scene of the accident without identifying zhirself (in a BMW).
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no subject
Date: 2005-08-29 02:49 pm (UTC)Oh! I heard about that accident this morning, but I didn't connect it to traffic yesterday.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-29 03:15 pm (UTC)And that accident: a family of five (wearing their seatbelts, even) paying for the stupidity of others. I feel most badly for them.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-29 02:50 pm (UTC)(the accident, not so...)
I've been on Agriculture in the Classroom's mailing list almost since the last millenium, but have never made it to their webpage-- thanks!
no subject
Date: 2005-08-29 03:19 pm (UTC)And I'm glad the URL is useful; I read the spring 2005 newsletter on the T this morning, and there were so many interesting programs and classroom ideas that I wanted to get the information to teachers. What sorts of things do you think your school would do to work ideas of agriculture into the curriculum? (Do they ever learn the relevant masechtot?)
no subject
Date: 2005-08-29 03:35 pm (UTC)possibly useful, then
Date: 2005-08-29 04:17 pm (UTC)Sweet Whisper Farms
Shmuel & Rivky Simenowitz (800) 660-9077
P.O. Box 236, Readsboro, VT 05350
E-MAIL: swfarms@together.net
Sugarhouse Phone: (800) 660-9077
Goldmine Road, Readsboro
no subject
Date: 2005-08-29 03:16 pm (UTC)Asshats.
The tomato festival sounds like a good time.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-29 03:21 pm (UTC)