tomatoes!
The vegetable of the week this time around is none other than the tomato. This popular veggie is very special to me.
First of all, tomatoes are hard to grow. They take a long time and require trellising and pruning. Once planted in the spring, I return to them every week to give them a haircut and make sure they are growing up. Tomatoes are also very delicate, they are susceptible to disease and get a nasty pest called the tomato hornworm. Tomatoes are a lot of work but the benefit is tremendous!
These botanical fruits are special for me for another layer as well. Back in 2018 I was working on a farm in upstate New York. This was the biggest farm I’ve ever worked on: 20+ acres! Two days a week, I was in charge of harvesting the tomatoes. The farm had four greenhouses full of tomatoes - the picking and sorting would take me all day to do.
I was the only woman who worked and lived on this farm, and with an 8+ person crew I became very aware of myself and my abilities as a farmer as a woman. In some ways it was incredibly empowering to keep up with all the guys. But in other ways I was in a very masculine environment and was faced with many workplace pressures as a woman. This occurred in micro aggressions such as people questioning my strength, but also in louder ways like asking me, and only me, to take care of the bookkeeper's child while she was working. So it was here that the tomato became very special for me. During this time I hung out with these beautiful plants and treasured the alone time in the greenhouses with them. I spent a lot of time thinking about being a woman and farming. I also only listened to feminist podcasts and a lot of ABBA.
According to the American Farmland Trust, 51% of farms had female operators in 2019, but only 14% were the principal operator (https://farmland.org/US-Women-in-Ag-Fact-Sheet.pdf). Did you know, women face land access challenges and gain less farm income than their counterparts? The good news is that many beginning farmers are women. The interest and entry into farming is growing!
Thank you for supporting your local women farmers. I hope you enjoy your tomatoes and listen to some ABBA.
Sending love from my head to-ma-toes,
Jamie
recipe from Chef Madison
quick pickled tomatoes
we all want more tomatoes, but what to do when you just have too many - right now? quick pickle them!
ingredients
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 cup vinegar (I like apple cider vinegar)
1 cup water
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar (honey or maple syrup are nice. feel free to add up to 1/2 cup of sugar to play up the sweetness)
1 tbsp of your favorite spices (peppercorns, bay leaves, coriander, star anise, cardamom, mustard seeds & ginger are all delicious here)
method
prepare the tomatoes - wash all tomatoes and put into a clean jar.
prepare the hot brine - add vinegar, water, salt, sugar and spices to a pot. bring to a boil over high heat until sugar has dissolved into mixture. remove from heat and let stand for 10-15 minutes.
make the quick pickles - pour the brine over the tomatoes, making sure the tomatoes are fully submerged. refrigerate for at least 2 days. enjoy!
these quick pickled tomatoes will last in the fridge for up to 2 months. once you’ve snacked on all the tomatoes, use the brine as a base for a salad dressing!
what we are growing this week:
tomatoes!
cabbage
kale
cauliflower
hot peppers
lettuce
cucumbers
herb bunch
