Jersey tomatoes at Laurie’s market. July 31, 2012. PG photo
By Paul Goldfinger
Anybody who is from New Jersey knows that we have the best tomatoes. The season comes to a peak in August, and to have a great year requires just the right amounts of heat, water and blessings of the gods.
At Laurie’s Farm Market in Neptune, on Atkins Avenue, between 7th and 8th Avenues, we found wonderful Jersey tomatoes. Sometimes tomatoes look good on the outside but they may taste lousy and look like potatoes on the inside. Some food markets sell tomatoes that are picked green but then are treated with gas to turn them red. This technique is unnatural and usually produces lousy results.
But these Laurie tomatoes are picked when nearly ripe and brought to market. If you give them a squeeze, just a slight give tells you they are ready. Some folks can smell them and tell.
The ones we bought today at $2.99 per pound were delicious, juicy and wonderful. Unless we have a problem with the weather, it looks like August will be a time of heavenly Jersey tomatoes. By next week, the prices will probably drop to $1.99 depending on supply and demand.
Where I come from, we eat them like apples.
Josh Kroner is a native of New Jersey (and FOP—friend of Paul’s). Now he is the executive chef/owner of the Terrapin Restaurant in Rhinebeck, New York. It was voted the best restaurant in Duchess County. This quote is from an online article he published today (see link below. It discusses heirloom tomatoes and offers a recipe) :
“I remember, as a young child, my mother had grown some tomatoes in our backyard. It was mid-summer when she pulled the first red ripe tomato off the vine, sliced off a piece, salted it and handed it to me. Much like my first kiss, it was an experience I will never forget: sweet and slightly acidic, strongly floral with the unique fresh tomato aroma, firm but juicy, melting in my mouth. It was an experience so visceral it would leave an indelible mark on me as a child, as an adult and as a chef.”
http://handpickednation.com/eat/loving-heirloom-tomatoes-hudson-valley-josh-kroner-terrapin-gazpacho-recipe/
Don’t forget to save and can/make sauce!
Laurie sells local (Wall Twp.) tomatoes and corn. Always the best, in abundance right now! Don’t miss this local treat!
Early year this will be. Peaking now. Lower prices as fields wither toward middle of August this year. Quality will follow decline of $$. Enjoy them now, we are at our peak.