You Say Tomato...

I can't resist the red deliciousness of ripe, juicy summer tomatoes. . .plus, they are sooooooo good for you, body and soul.

 

Tomatoes are considered a superfood because they contain a whole series of anticancer nutrients, such as lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant that can help protect your body against degenerative diseases by neutralizing free radicals.

What a mouthful!  In plain English what I'm trying to say is that tomatoes build up your immune system, the body's front line system for fighting diseases.  In fact, doctors have found that a maintaining a diet high in the lycopene reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease and macular degeneration.

 

Staying healthy is especially important while grieving the loss of a loved one.  Grief is physical as well as emotional.  You may lose your appetite while grieving and tomatoes are an easy and fast way to pull something nutritious together for yourself.  They can be cooked or not; either way it's important to remember to eat.

 

Wow!  All of those healthy and healing benefits -- just from eating tomatoes -- and that's easy breezy this time of year when tomatoes are plentiful at farmer's market, grocery stores or if you're really lucky, maybe even in your backyard.

 

If you can't figure out what to do with your bounty of tomatoes, or you are looking for a new way to eat your fresh tomatoes, here's a recipe for Tomato Basil Bruschetta distributed by FRESHFARM Markets (www.freshfarmmarkets.org) from a food website called Annie's Eats (www.annie-eats.com).
 

Courtesy of Annie's Eats

 

TOMATO BASIL BRUSCHETTA

 

Ingredients:
3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 tbsp. basil, minced
¼ tsp. kosher salt
Pepper, to taste
1½ tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. finely grated Parmesan
Toasted baguette slices, for serving

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; mix well to blend. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Spoon the tomato mixture on top of toasted baguette slices and serve.

Source: Annie original

Farmers Are The Best!

Elmer's Fresh Veggies

My vacation sadly has ended and as I drive home I'm thinking about all the fun and relaxing  things that I had a chance to do: eating delicious steamed crabs at Mickey's, swimming in the ocean, sleeping in, finishing a powerful book titled Mary's Mosaics, shopping at the outlets and hanging out with great friends.

But the drive home also has a time-honored ritual that I look forward to:  stopping at a farmer's stand to buy fresh, fresh, fresh vegetables and fruit.

When I was a child, my parents would always stop at Addams market which is the first market you see when you cross over the Delaware state line.  For years, Addams was the agreed road stop until I got married.  My husband didn't want to go to Addams, he preferred Elmer's.  These are not the only two markets on the drive to the beach.  There are scores of other stands, one of which is called Ma and Pa's.

Anywho, the first year my husband and I traveled to the beach, he did compromise (surprise!)and we stopped at Addams but he really didn't like it so the next year I said it would be okay if we stopped at Elmer's and now it has been Elmer's ever since.

I must say Elmer's has the sweetest cantalopes I've ever eaten and their corn on the cob and tomatoes are also very good!  They also sell plants and homemade breads and jams.  This year I am taking advantage of the wonderful Eastern Shore crops that have been harvested and waiting for people to grab them, cook and eat!  I think there is something about the soil on the Eastern Shore that adds a special zing to the produce grown there.

I wish I had a garden so that I could eat my own home grown fruits and veggies but my gardening efforts never succeed so I have stopped trying.  I can grow herbs in a pot which I do -- rosemary and mint -- but I can't grow a tomato if my life depended on it.  My tomato plants grow tall but then they never bloom.  It's very sad but that's why I think farmers are the best!!

Speaking of gardens, here is a YouTube video about the White House garden which I would love to visit if it were open to the public:

Chipotle's Salsa

Photo By Patti Raab

Hey farmer's market fans --

Chipotle was the new vendor yesterday at the farmer's market near the White House.  What is a national chain of restaurants doing at a farmer's market you may ask?  I was wondering too until I got to Chipotle's table.  Chipotle put on a live demonstration showing how easy it is to use summer produce and herbs to make your own fresh salsa.  The store also gave out it's salsa recipe which I have posted below for you to try.

Chipotle, which tries to source organic and local produce when it can, also generously gave out free samples of the freshly made salsa along with some great salty tortilla chips!  Thanks Chipotle!!

It was a beautiful sunny day in the nation's capital and the market was very busy as shoppers sampled and talked with the local farmers about the local varieties of fresh produce that were being sold all along the blocked off area within viewing disctance of the White House.  Office workers and tourists browsed the tables filled with delicious sour cherries, sweet cherries, small cucumbers, yellow squash, salad greens, and vine ripe tomatoes, ready to be chopped, cooked and hastily eaten.  I found some absolutely beautiful tomatoes which I consider the best of the best of summer's home grown treasures.  I'll be eating those right away!

Summer tomatoes are very versatile and when they are as fresh as they are right now and will be for the rest of the summer you can add them to almost any dish and they will amp up the flavor of whatever you're making.  Chopped, roasted or marinated, I never get sick of eating summer tomatoes.

For a great salsa, summer tomatoes are essential. If you've never made fresh salsa before, it's very easy.  Have fun making it and experimenting with different ingredients.  As a starting point, here is Chipotle's salsa recipe which the store gave out today:

CHIPOTLE'S TOMATO SALSA RECIPE

6 vine-ripened tomatoes

1/2 a red onion

2 jalapenos

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon sugar

sal and pepper to taste

Dice the tomatoes, onions and jalapenos.  Combine all the ingredients and season to taste.

Mangi!! (Italian for "eat")

To market, To market

Photo by katieleekitchen

If it's Thursday, then it must be White House Farmer's Market Day!

Beautiful, juicy strawberries, freshly washed pesticide-free kale and farm grown tomatoes were all lined up on the tables today and looking fabulous.  It's a treat for me to get out of the office and feel the warm welcoming sun on my face as I walk the four blocks to the market, one of the city's many farmer's markets where people can consistently find unlimited and natural nutrients.

Today there was a new vendor.  I didn't see the name of the farm but I believe it was located somewhere in Pennsylvania because the people working the stand were Amish and not surprisingly, the line was long.  The Amish have a well deserved reputation for fresh delicious homemade or homegrown foods.  Today they were grilling what looked like red and yellow peppers and onions to accompany other grilled meats brought in from their farm.

I try to go to the market every week because I have learned over the past few years that eating fresh and raw fruits and vegetables is invaluable for a healthy mind and body.  Nourishment is essential to healing just as plenty of sleep is.  When you are dealing with an emotional crisis, the last thing you need to put in your body is processed foods loaded with chemicals and other stuff you can't pronounce.  You body can't get any energy or re-charge itself off those foods.

Tomatoes and kale were my big purchases for the day and then I walked around to see what the other vendors were offering.  Baby squash, spring onions and lots of varieties of lettuces just picked from the farm were among the popular items for sale.  Then there were other vendors who are not farmers who sell their products featuring local seasonal ingredients and they lend a festive tone to the market: the popscicle man whose pops are made from natural juices, a baker who sells different varieties of breads and a flower person selling bunches of seasonal flowers overflowing in tin can containers.

It's a community happening just a block from the White House and I can't wait to buy more goodies next week!