Tomato Truths

ok, start talking!!

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes--talk about bountiful! 

Last week we harvested 900 pound of tomatoes from the farm!

If it was anything but tomatoes, maybe we would think we had too many, 

(is there such a thing as "too many tomaotes?) 

but then it's summer and tomato time and you really need to eat them every day, right?

So, our chefs get creative. 

oven roasted tomatoes at the girl & the fig

sun-dried tomato skins
we might be enjoying those later
 in the year, when it is past tomato time

And a "fig-ified" version of fried green tomatoes was a very popular special recently.

You, like most of us, think that fried green tomatoes are a Southern dish, right? 

This is likely due to the 1991 movie Fried Green Tomatoes based 

on the 1987 novel by Fanny Flagg, "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe,"

 both of which are set in Alabama. 

And if you've traveled in the South, you will find the dish on menus 

throughout the region touting their simple home-made true Southern food. 

fried green tomatoes, a recent special on the menu at "the fig"

Well, big surprise, but "fried green tomatoes may have been 

as unusual in the South before 1991 as they were anywhere else."

According to Robert F. Moss, a food historian and writer in South Carolina: 

"they entered the American culinary scene in the Northeast and Midwest, 

perhaps with a link to Jewish immigrants." 

Moss writes in a comprehensive blog, "The fried green tomato swindle," 

including the revelation that the 'famous" recipe from the original 

Whistlestop Cafe' was developed AFTER the movie came out! "

His detective work on the origins of fried green tomatoes uncovers 

"a recipe for "Fried Green Tomatoes" appears in the International Jewish Cookbook (1919), recommended as "an excellent breakfast dish," 

and in Aunt Babette's Cookbook (1889), another kosher Jewish recipe book.

Who knew?

Wherever they came from, they sure are delicious! 

So, fried green tomatoes are not from the South, 

but caprese salad of mozzarella and tomatoes is from Italy, right? 

our chefs take on heirloom tomatoes & mozzerella

Right. But the surprise here is that the original and most traditional version 

of this salad was garnished with oregano or arugala, not basil, and a drizzle of olive oil.

"Inslata Caprese as Italian affectionados call it, originated from 

the Isle of Capri in the Campagna region of Italy in the 1950′s. 

 The traditonal Insalata Caprese uses cow’s milk mozzarella, tomatoes, and olive oil 

garnished with oregano and arugula. Elsewhere in Italy, basil has come to be the garnish.

The American version of caprese salad usually is garnished 

with bail, and often a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

one of the many rows of tomatoes at the farm

But this all just underscores the idea that when gardens are abundant with tomatoes, 

if you can resist just standing over the sink and eating it like a piece of fruit 

(which of course, it is–another "tomato truth" that it is not a vegetable),

then cooks will find unlimited ways to feature them.

heirloom tomatoes, watermelon, yellow tomato vinaigrette, feta, oregano, maldon salt
photo by Steven Krause for
Plats du Jour: the girl & the fig's Journey Through the Seasons in Wine Country

The hundreds of pounds of tomatoes our chefs get each week 

from the farm just barely keep up with the demand for 

the popular seasonal starter at the girl & the fig: heirloom tomato & watermelon salad. 

This simple but perfect summer treat is featured on page 134 of 

Plats du Jour: the girl & the fig's Journey Through the Seasons in Wine Country.

well, perhaps we did have a few too many tomatoes recently,
but we were happy to share with you.
Go to page 134 of the cookbook and make the salad at home!

And, through October, you can enjoy one 

of our most creative dishes enhanced by our farm tomatoes: basil panisse cake 

and help raise money for the James Beard Foundation's Education Drive.

our basil panisse cake with heirloom tomato coulis,
cherry tomatoes, marinated feta, mizuna

We will donate $1 from every dish sold as our participation 

in the James Beard Foundation's local dish challenge. 

Ask your server at the girl & the fig about the details–besides eating and enjoying it, 

you need to participate via social media, but the city with the most 

photo uploads on Instagram will win a donation from 

the James Beard Foundation of $10,000 or 10% of the proceeds 

raised nationally, whichever is higher, to a local food charity. 

What's your favorite way to enjoy tomatoes?

Veggie Bowl

Here we are in July, officially summer and we are in full swing at the farm. 

We may still be doing some planting, mostly to spread out what is harvested when, 

but we are pretty much planted for the season.

As you know, we consciously chose to go a little tomato crazy, 

but who can blame us? 

The farm at Imagery Estate Winery is just a perfect spot 

and then there's you and what we know you crave.

Heirloom tomato and watermelon salad photo by Steven Krause
for Plats du Jour: the girl & the fig's Journey Through the Seasons in Wine Country

Heirloom tomatoes & mozzerella
at the girl & the fig 

 We've noticed something very interesting this year 

among the 800 tomatoes we are growing:

you can get lost in our "tomato alley"

Some of the tomato plants are shooting up so fast, from first planting day, to the next week, they were growing so tall—some of them are almost up to six fee already, 

even before the fruits are ready to be picked. Then there are others, 

that are certainly abundant, lush and healthy, but seem to be growing more slowly. 

The slower growing ones are all heirlooms and the faster growing ones 

are all the hybrids we experimented with this year. 

you can see the difference in heights of the tomato plants

Since this is our first time growing hybrids, we didn't know what to expect. 

In the past, we were purists planting only heirloom tomatoes, 

but this year, knowing we would devote so much of the farm space to tomatoes, 

we decided to give the hybrids a try. 

Executive Chef John Toulze
checks on the hybrids about 2 weeks ago
They were almost as tall as he is!

While you mostly think hybrids are a "dirty word," and only found in supermarkets, 

actually, we grew ours from seeds exactly as we did with our heirlooms. 

And for the real "tomato dirt" on the subject, check out what Tomato Dirt blog 

says about the pros and cons of heirlooms vs. hybrids.

They are called hybrids because they combine two varieties
and you get the best qualities of both "parents."

KQED Science page shares differences between heirlooms and hybrids 

as well as busting a few myths about heirloom tomatoes—such as, 

they are not "old fashioned tomatoes," as much as they are 

varieties that have had no crossbreeding for 40 years. 

we hope to be serving these to you very soon!

Did you know that 93% of American households grow tomatoes? 

Do you? What kind?

But, as we've been saying, our veggie bowl has more than just tomatoes in it.

We are growing many varieties of squash, several cucumbers, 

beans, eggplant and peppers.

And the gift of summer is that we are now beginning to truly see

the fruits of our labors.

most of what's planted certainly has been planned.
And then, we find bountiful purslane just appearing
but our chefs get very creative with this! 

this purple flower will soon be an Ping Tung Eggplant

You have to look close but there are lovely padron peppers
amongst the leaves already

beans

lemon cucumber growing in the Orchard bed

Now into our third year at the farm, we have a sense 

of what grows best where. And while we still like to experiment a bit, 

the deepening of our relationship with the farm (as well as knowing what our guests 

like to have at their tables), directs what we plant.

But it's hard not to get carried away and want to plant everything. 

We really related to a recent post by Smart Gardener: 

"Remember when you were a kid, and the holidays or your birthday 

rolled around—that excitement about looking through the catalogs 

circling the toys you just had to have? 

And then the excitement as the gift-receiving day got closer and closer,

 the wonderfully delicious wondering of what would be wrapped up for you? 

I think the closest thing to that hopeful anxiety is the feeling 

gardeners get as they spend the winter months pouring over seed catalogs 

and making endless lists of what they want to plant this year, 

and then waiting for the seeds to arrive."

Here's a rundown of what they finally decided to grow this spring and summer. 

We've shared our garden plan with you.

What are you growing in your garden?

Now is the "IT" time at the farm

Now is the "it" time at the farm: 

When everything is in bloom, plants are growing like crazy 

and there is almost too much there to know what to do with. 

But we are not complaining and our chefs enjoy 

the creative challenge of what to do with all this bounty.

Chef Jeremy at the girl & the fig

During the hard work of prepping the land and the painstaking labor of planting,

 these are the days we dreamt about.

Chefs Seth (left) and Uriel (right) working the land.
And now they are cooking with the fruits of their labors

As spring turned to summer we went from

 the encouraging signs of taller plants to blossoms to fruit.

All along we knew it would be worth it when we got to the days 

of arriving at the farm ready to collect the treasures.

Asian pears just picked off the tree
photo by Matthew Ruff

Atomic red carrots ready for the kitchen
photo by Matthew Ruff  

And these August days, tomatoes
are the "IT" girls at the girl & the fig.

We are now in the bounty time, picking these beauties daily
 from our farm at Imagery Estate Winery.

mixed heirloom tomatoes are finally ripe and ready

here's how they began: tomato starts May 12 at the farm

July the plants began teasing us

We've been waiting and watching the tomato plants since May, 

anticipating one of the house favorite's at the girl & the fig restaurant—

the heirloom tomato and watermelon salad, now on the menu. 

photo by Steven Krause for
Plats du Jour: the girl & the fig's Journey Through the Seasons in Wine Country

While we are thrilled to have this popular salad
back on the menu during "tomato time,"
what's especially exciting is what new dishes
have been inspired this summer.
The chefs at the girl & the fig created a special that is only available this week:
Albacore tartare(chives, roasted garlic, lemon zest, basil) 
and served with a garden tomato & chili sorbet.

Also, this week's bistro plats du jour features 

our heirloom tomatoes in the ENTRÉE of herb grilled albacore 

with garden tomatoes, leeks, french bread crumbs.

And, our tomatoes share billing with beans from the farm 

in a new addition to the regular menu: crispy Rocky Jr chicken thighs 

and a summer succotash of fresh beans, corn, bacon and heirloom tomatoes.

What will inspire the chefs next week?

And what are you creating in your kitchen with goodies from your farm 

or what you discover at your local Farmers Market?

two of our busy chefs at the girl & the fig