You'll see these bigger cherry tomatoes in your box which is a swirled mix of colors. It's an heirloom variety from Seed Savers called Isis which sometimes produces a yellow fruit, sometimes a red fruit, sometimes a swirl. Sometimes the tomato has a pear shape, although it's usually round. Anyway, it's this kind of inconsistency you'll find with heirlooms that I love because there's a real beauty to the mix of colors and shapes, but it is also the reason these varieties are not widespread commercial varieties If you're growing 40 acres of tomatoes, you're bound to go with a standard hybrid. These varieties are consistent in size, shape, and texture, which is just what you need if you're promising a buyers at the terminal market in Chicago you'll ship him a semi of tomatoes. At our scale, we can play around with a wide mix of varieties and ones which are a bit more adventurous.
In the box:
Cherry tomato mix
A dozen corn (mainly a yellow variety called Bodacious)
Earlygirl Tomatoes
Basil
Fresh Thyme
Cukes
A mix of Summer Squash
A couple Sweet Onions
Garlic
Swiss Chard
Green Beans
Basil Green Beans and Cherry Tomatoes
From The St. Paul Farmers Market Produce Cookbook
I know I've included this recipe in the past, but it's perfect for this week's box.
2 cups green beans, steamed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 T. olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t. salt
ground black pepper to taste
1 T. fresh basil, finely chopped
Cut steamed beans into 1 inch pieces. In a large bowl, combine cherry tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add hot beans along with the basil. Mix well. Makes 4 servings.
