By KATE FULLAM //
Approaching the holiday weekend, my editor subtly suggested a light topic for my next Voices column, and I’m grateful.
Lately, my days – and some nights – have been a slog, sitting in front of the computer to meet grant-application deadlines, attend farming-economics webinars and help coordinate research that may lead to a more resilient and equitable local food system.
There is intense pressure to leverage this historic moment of public awareness, political will and available funding for social good, especially related to food. But thanks to you, Mr. Editor, I won’t be crumbling underneath that pressure anytime soon – instead, it’s time to take a break and have some fun with food … specifically, with tomatoes.
Tomatoes are one of the most versatile ingredients around, but don’t discount the glorious impact of a raw wedge or slice with some good, flakey sea salt. Add some herbs and olive oil, if you’re feeling fancy, but keep it simple: Once the heirloom varieties start showing up at farm stands, just the slew of colors, arranged in pretty slices on a white platter, is enough to impress your guests.
Kate Fullam: Tomatoes are ripe with possibility.
The botanists can argue over whether the tomato is a fruit or vegetable. I’d rather dig into the more important stuff, like salsa, ketchup, sauces and jams.
When tomatoes are in peak season, we put these ruby beauties to good use in so many different ways at East End Food Institute. Some of the most flavorful are the ugliest – the bruised, the misshapen – but we do not discriminate.
To meet heavy year-round demand, we work closely with Twin Fork Growers, a hydroponic farm in Manorville that uses heated greenhouses to produce tomatoes almost all year long. And to avoid wasting surplus in-season tomatoes, many regional farms work with our team to develop exclusive products (others stick with our private-label recipes to preserve the harvest).
You can see and taste our handiwork at Balsam Farms, Amber Waves and Share the Harvest Farm, all in East Hampton; at Treiber Farms and Sherwood House Vineyards, both located on the North Fork; and through the EEFI’s virtual market, with pickups in Southampton.
For those farther west, a visit to the Eastport General Store will yield tomatoes in the form of Springs Fireplace salsa, East End Cowboy barbecue sauce, Le Bon Magot tomato chutney and Aki’s Kitchen spicy tomato soup (our all-time favorite Monday night dinner).
Slice/dice of life: So many tasty uses.
East End Food Institute’s tomato jam also holds a special place in my heart, as the first recipe to launch our food production program in 2018. It remains on the menu at Wolffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack, thanks to our longstanding partners there. At home, I have enjoyed the tomato jam on a cheese board, as an accompaniment to dark chocolate, even as a finishing glaze to grilled burgers or chicken.
Aside from being versatile and delicious, tomatoes offer some pretty terrific health benefits. Our friends at chooseli.org can help you find the nearest farm stand or market – and however you slice, dice or sauce them, I hope you’ll all be enjoying some local tomatoes soon!
Kate Fullam is the executive director of the nonprofit East End Food Institute.
