So Edible is a monthly feature with recipes and cooking tips to inspire eating fresh home-made foo
As summer leaves us, now is the time to revel in the last of the glorious flavors of warm sunny days. That means stuffing yourself with as many locally grown heirloom tomatoes as time will allow.
Heirloom tomatoes
Fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes define simplicity by requiring nothing more than to be sliced and consumed. They deliver a juicy joyful flavor that will haunt you until the next harvest. Gild the experience with a drizzle of exquisite olive oil and a sprinkle of fine artisan salt. The taste will likely be a memory so powerful it can be called upon during the dark chilly abyss of our Northwest winter like a magical incantation to conjure a restorative moment of summer.
Heirloom Caprese Salad with Murray River Flake Salt made by Lilan of Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs blog
I was invited as a guest of Richmond Public Relations to attend TomatoFare, a celebration dedicated to heirloom tomatoes. It was held at the stunningly beautiful Cedarbrook Lodge, located in SeaTac of all places and home to the Copperleaf Restaurant.
Gorgeous setting for TomatoFare at Cedarbrook Lodge
Notable chefs including Mark Bodinet of Copperleaf Restaurant, Johnathan Sundstrom of Lark, Bobby Moore of Barking Frog, Seth Caswell of Emmer & Rye, Carla Leonardi of Café Lago, Jacob Weigner of Blackboard Bistro, and Shannon Wilkinson of Little Water Cantina (a new comer to the Eastlake neighborhood serving artful and authentic Mexican cuisine), served up small dishes celebrating heirloom tomatoes in every creative way imaginable.
Heirloom Tomato Tostada with Housemade Queso Fresco from Little Water Cantina
With tables full of heirloom tomatoes to sample I’m sure ideas for next year’s garden were clicking away in the backs of most people’s minds as they worked their way along the tomato buffet spearing one juicy sample after the next.
Heirloom tomatoes galore for sampling at TomatoFare
The event is a harvest party with the intent to inspire home gardeners to save seeds and help fuel the resurgence of the vast array of exquisite tomato varieties not produced commercially.
Heirloom tomatoes in all colors and sizes
I was looking forward to picking up some great tomato growing advice from experts as well as information on how to save seeds, but sadly that was one area that seemed to have been overlooked in planning the event.
Stacks and stacks of glorious tomatoes.
There were, however, plenty of tomatoes, other tasty nibbles, a smattering of local wines, music and a beautifully relaxing setting to enjoy.
Mingling, eating, and drinking the day away.
Serving a platter of sliced heirloom tomatoes will have everyone praising your culinary prowess. It is genius to let the ingredients do the work for you. A drizzle of olive oil here, and sprinkle of fresh basil there, slices of fresh mozzarella and you’re done. Well, almost done. There is the all important matter of salt.
Artisan salt is a must on heirloom tomatoes.
When salt and tomatoes come together there is some kind of spectacular synergy that happens. Of course just like using the most glorious tomatoes, you need to use a glorious salt.
Tasting natural salt, with minerals and terroir defining a flavor that reaches beyond simply salty, is an experience as eye opening as the first time you taste a really good tomato. In addition to playing with flavor, artisan salts let you play with texture. The crystalline structure of handmade salt is so elegant and diverse it would make Swarovski swoon and it will send your sliced tomatoes over the moon.
I suggest experimenting with the delicate texture of flake salt. The impossibly thin wafers are visually stunning and delicately crunchy without an overpoweringly strong flavor.
You’ll be left staring down a long cold winter before you get your next chance at local heirlooms, so don’t procrastinate. You can find heirloom tomatoes at neighborhood Farmer’s Markets, Metropolitan Market, PCC and many other stores in the area. To explore some exquisite artisan salts visit World Spice Merchants on Western Avenue, or take the internet or a quick road trip down to Portland to visit The Meadow. With over 300 varieties of specialty handmade artisan salts from around the world, I’m sure you’ll find one or twenty that will go nicely with your heirlooms.
The chef's garden at Cedarbrook Lodge
Carol Peterman
Carol writes the blog feature, So Edible, a monthly post with recipes and cooking tips to inspire eating fresh homemade food. Carol is the owner of TableFare, a company developing unique kitchen products that combine the best of form and function to create superior usability and beauty. As a passionate cook obsessed with spices, she loves to inspire others to cook and share their food experiences. She writes the blog mix, mix...stir, stir on TableFare.com, teaches cooking classes to low-income families as a volunteer with Operation Frontline, and is always ready for a food adventure. Connect with Carol onTwitter @TableFare and Facebook.
* This post is from a Girl Power Hour featured blogger. It is not written, edited or endorsed by Girl Power Hour. The authors are solely responsible for content.
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Tomato Riches Gilded with Salty Crystals | Spice Guru Recipes & Tips Blog | TableFare the makers of SpiceCare
09.22.2011
[...] my most recent guest blog post for Girl Power Hour I encourage you to embrace the last of the summer harvest and feast on local heirloom tomatoes [...]