Hard to imagine, isn't it?
A pirate ship cruising up and down the Welland River to entertain the guests at my "Tomato Bash." "How did you arrange that, Linda?" they asked.
Well, I didn't really arrange it. And truth be told, it wasn't really a ship. More like a small boat with a pirate flag that kept going back and forth on the river behind our home. I assume they were as curious about my tomato event and the people milling about as all the people on land were about the boat.
Just a cool thing.
But now down to the nitty gritty.
The winner of the taste test was.... White Rabbit tomato, followed closely by Green Doctors and White Currant.
A pirate ship cruising up and down the Welland River to entertain the guests at my "Tomato Bash." "How did you arrange that, Linda?" they asked.
Well, I didn't really arrange it. And truth be told, it wasn't really a ship. More like a small boat with a pirate flag that kept going back and forth on the river behind our home. I assume they were as curious about my tomato event and the people milling about as all the people on land were about the boat.
Just a cool thing.
But now down to the nitty gritty.
The winner of the taste test was.... White Rabbit tomato, followed closely by Green Doctors and White Currant.
In fact the top 5 tomatoes people like best were smaller tomatoes.
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| The best friends one could ever have! (photo-T. Mayer) |
But I have to be honest.
We, or to be even more truthful, my chopping buddies ( and not me) Lisa and Emily were dicing up those tomatoes at record speed, but it was too much to ask. 101 varieties chopped in an hour and a half? What was I thinking?
So not all the varieties made it out to the tasting table. Most did, but not all.
Those friends are a cut above, but just couldn't cut it. Ha!
Honestly, thanks to all my friends and family who carried the event. And thanks also to Mother Nature for deciding that the forecasted 100% chance of thunderstorms just wouldn't happen.
Wow. We just lucked out.
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| Tomatoes for sale! (photo Tara-Seven Spoons) |
So to round out the top five tomatoes that folks enjoyed we have the stunning Michael Pollan, and finally Egg Yolk Cherry.
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| Kevin Maniaci's Panzanella (photo-Tara-Seven Spoons) |
The chefs I invited came and shined. There was yummy Panzanella, created by Kevin Maniaci. Lime Basil sorbet in a sumac cone, with tomato gelatin cubes...Mark Picone how do you do these things? Amazing! I probably didn't even get the description correct at all. Mark's dishes are very complex and well thought out. Detail, detail, detail!
Marlie Centawer created raw vegan magic with her tasty tomato topped dehydrated veg cracker and cashew cheese. Lee from Truly Organic Foods made it out as well, and it was wonderful to have you here. The Mahtay Cafe's Sawatsky husband and wife team, Jay and Nicole had a fabulous Lime Basil Cheesecake, with tomato topping, and a pretty cool Tomato Iced Tea. Shawn Murphy of the Keefer came up with a green tomato salsa, with grilled corn, incorporating hot Filus Blue peppers and some Szechuan buttons. All super yummy, and a beautiful display of the versatility of tomatoes. From savoury to sweet it was all fantastic.
We toured the garden, which this year is impossible to walk in. Everything is packed in and has filled out nicely. Yes, there were weeds to see too, but trust me, many, many less than last week!
I tried to point out the major points of interest, but after everyone left, of course all the veggies I didn't point out came to mind. Ah well. There is next year.
Thanks to everyone for coming. Chefs, guests, friends and fellow tomato lovers. I am indebted to you all for your support throughout the year and am happy we could all share the harvest.
Thanks too, to Jesse and Melanie Senko for coming and featuring my event on their (crackerless) Crackers Blog. Your support this year has been greatly appreciated.
Marlie Centawer created raw vegan magic with her tasty tomato topped dehydrated veg cracker and cashew cheese. Lee from Truly Organic Foods made it out as well, and it was wonderful to have you here. The Mahtay Cafe's Sawatsky husband and wife team, Jay and Nicole had a fabulous Lime Basil Cheesecake, with tomato topping, and a pretty cool Tomato Iced Tea. Shawn Murphy of the Keefer came up with a green tomato salsa, with grilled corn, incorporating hot Filus Blue peppers and some Szechuan buttons. All super yummy, and a beautiful display of the versatility of tomatoes. From savoury to sweet it was all fantastic.
We toured the garden, which this year is impossible to walk in. Everything is packed in and has filled out nicely. Yes, there were weeds to see too, but trust me, many, many less than last week!
I tried to point out the major points of interest, but after everyone left, of course all the veggies I didn't point out came to mind. Ah well. There is next year.
Thanks to everyone for coming. Chefs, guests, friends and fellow tomato lovers. I am indebted to you all for your support throughout the year and am happy we could all share the harvest.
Thanks too, to Jesse and Melanie Senko for coming and featuring my event on their (crackerless) Crackers Blog. Your support this year has been greatly appreciated.
Here are Jesse's impressions of the day...
We'll do it again next year!
