After a recent pilgrimage to Block Island, I can still hear the lovely sisters at the Darius Inn chiming, “There’s a reason for every season.” It’s a refrain that won’t seem to quiet in the back of my mind. They’re right – certain activities and flavors are best left to certain times of the year.
In August, fresh tomatoes speak for themselves, and I′m getting ready to harvest, slice, crush, can, and – yes – drink my weight in tomatoes. Fresh tomato juice may, in fact, be one of the reasons I was put on this planet. It′s silky, savory, and mysteriously light compared to off-the-shelf bottled varieties. Sure, a tomato from the grocery store will do the trick, but not during the late summer months.
Gold Rush, Green Zebras, Black Krim – heirloom tomatoes are an exceptionally poetic lot. In winter, I dream about their peculiar shades and organic shapes, deeply creased and delightfully blotched with color. Ask me in February what varieties of tomato I’ll be growing later that year and I′ll spout off the lyrical list: Early Girl, Brandywine, Purple Cherokee. I deeply look forward to August and its fruitful bounty. And all those tomatoes, of course, mean Bloody Marys…
The drink was purportedly invented by Ferdinand “Pete” Petiot at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris after World War I, when canned tomato juice first hit the market. Pete added vodka, a dash of lemon, and a few spicy seasonings, and the rest is history…
Visit Puddingstone Post for the full story + recipe
Thanks to Jungil Hong for being the beautiful model mama and Isabel Mattia and Adam for your keen vegetable curation and beautiful farm. And a toast to the ever-inspiring Walker’s Roadside Stand for your beautiful ″ugly″ tomatoes. They never disappoint.
