There is a new Farm Notes online! Read about eating local and the feeling of summer on the farm.
We have arrived at peak tomatoes, suddenly. This only lasts a few weeks, so we all need to do our solemn duty and eat as many tomatoes as we can in as many ways as we can imagine. Most of you don't need any help imagining, but just in case you get stuck: tomato sandwiches, tomato salad, gazpacho, bruschetta, salsa, tomato sauce, tomatoes tossed in pasta with pesto... and then there is the project of preserving tomatoes for later. You can freeze them (this takes up a lot of freezer space but it is a lovely treat to take out a quart of delicious frozen tomatoes in January and turn it into a fresh tasting soup or pasta sauce. You may choose to can them (now that InstantPots are ubiquitous, you might even have a canning pot already). You can dry them and store them in oil. But mostly we just need to eat them until we are tired of tomatoes.
SO--if you want to buy canning tomatoes, you need to get in touch with Becky as soon as possible. They are $25 a box for a mix of ripe, imperfect tomatoes that need to be processed immediately. They will be at peak flavor. If you want a box of Italian tomatoes (25 pounds), those are $40 a box. We will have Italian tomatoes this week but not necessarily next week. We will have regular canning tomatoes for most of August. We can take orders for about three boxes a day Tuesday through Friday and then up to six boxes a day on the weekend. We do not deliver bulk tomatoes; they must be picked up on the farm.
To reserve your boxes, please email becky@potomacvegetablefarms.com with your order and note:
Your name,
What day you would like to pick up your tomatoes,
How many boxes you would like, and
What roadside stand you will be picking up at (Purcellville or Vienna).
Once I email you back confirming we have them available at the time you wish, you're all set! We should have tomatoes for about three weeks or so.
In case you are new to our tomatoes, we feel that our tomatoes are truly what sets us apart from almost everyone else. It's all about the soil. Our tomatoes have fantastic flavor during the month of August when it is hot and generally dry. When the evenings get cool, the tomatoes start to lose their sweetness. They still taste like tomatoes but they don't have the whole flavor panel that satisfies your entire mouth.
We only grow varieties that we like to eat ourselves. We like pinks and yellows and reds. We like some heirlooms but not all. We like Juliets and cherry tomatoes and Clementines (the yellow cocktail tomatoes). We grow mostly hybrids because they resist most of the diseases--their skins are a little thicker than heirlooms so they don't split as fast. Heirlooms are a challenge and are really meant to be grown in a home garden. They do not ship, they do not hold, they do not last. They are delicious and juicy and amazing, and so very fragile. If we manage to get an heirloom to you in good condition, it is because we have tried really hard.
For more recipe ideas you can find us on Pinterest!
