Tomato Independence Project

Why do so many of us remain paralyzed by the perfectly spherical, completely tasteless “tomatoes” that adorn grocery store shelves? What do we actually know about how these tomatoes are produced? And, what arguments can be made for a localized, seasonal tomato economy? Join The Treasure Valley Food Coalition this summer as it explores these and other questions in its Reading Circle featuring Tomatoland by James Beard award-winning author Barry Estabrook. The Reading Circle will meet twice. The first meeting (on June 10th at 6:00 in the Garden at Edwards Greenhouses) is an opportunity for participants to introduce themselves and to determine the date and other details of the group’s second meeting – the actual book discussion and tomato celebration. For more information or to sign up to participate in TVFC’s Tomatoland Reading Circle, please email Amy Hutchinson amynhutchinson@yahoo.com. We hope to see you there!

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Have you seen the new TIP t-shirts yet? They come in black and gray, and are made of organic cotton. You can find them in a variety of sizes at North End Organic Nursery and Edwards Greenhouse. Even if you’re not a gardener or just don’t have the space to grow tomatoes this year, you can show your support for the Tomato Independence Project by wearing one of these t-shirts around town! Here’s the front:             and here’s the back:             Aren’t they great?

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We received such wonderful comments about the food served at the kickoff celebration this weekend that we thought we’d share some of the recipes with you. Enjoy! Best Tomato Soup - adapted from Chris Florence, Sweet Valley Organics 1 TB olive oil 1/2 sweet onion, chopped 1/4 tsp. roasted garlic, or 1 tsp. roasted garlic sauce (recipe below) 2 qts canned tomatoes, picked and processed at their peak Salt White balsamic vinegar Cook onions gently in oil until translucent, add garlic or garlic sauce and mix well. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Take off heat, cool slightly. Puree using an immersion blender until smooth, then pass through a chinois or any fine mesh strainer to remove all parts and pieces and leave a silky soup. Add salt and vinegar to taste. Chill, rewarm slightly, or serve at room temperature. Roasted Garlic Sauce 3-4 heads of garlic, root scrubbed thoroughly and tops of cloves removed (trim a very shallow slice from top to expose tops of cloves) Olive oil Red balsamic vinegar White wine Put garlic heads in a small ceramic baking dish (fill up the space). Pour olive oil over the heads (about 3 TB), then pour balsamic vinegar…

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Are you excited about getting started with the Tomato Independence Project, but not so sure about starting tomatoes from seed? Four local nurseries will be holding seed starting classes throughout the month of February. The classes will introduce students to starting vegetable plants from seed, and each participant will have the opportunity to plant each of the four varieties of tomatoes found in the TIP packets. Classes are free, but registration is required. To sign up for classes at Edwards Greenhouse, please visit their website. To sign up for all other classes, please email us your information at treasurevalleyfoodcoalition@gmail.com. Let us know which class you’d like to sign up for, and write “seed starting class” in the subject line. Seed starting classes & times: 1) February 2nd, Edwards Greenhouse, 10:30  - 11:45 a.m. or 1:00 – 2:15 p.m. 2) February 9th, North End Organic Nursery, 1:00 – 2:15 p.m. 3) February 16th, FarWest Nursery, 10:00 – 11:15 a.m. 4) February 23rd, Franz Witte Nursery, 1:00 – 2:15 p.m.  

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On Saturday, January 12, more than 70 people gathered to officially launch the Treasure Valley Food Coalition’s (TVFC) Tomato Independence Project. Despite the frigid outdoor temperatures, all could easily dream of picking fresh tomatoes right off the vine while enjoying the warmth and sun of Edwards Greenhouse. The featured tomatoes in the Tomato Independence Project were revealed at the kickoff. These tomato varieties are great for beginners, selected by our participating nurseries as must haves for gardeners in the Treasure Valley. Mortgage Lifter – perfect sandwich tomato; very large, smooth, pink-skinned, meaty fruits Early Girl – tasty fruit; firm texture and blemish resistant skin Sun Gold – exceptionally sweet orange/gold cherry tomatoes; high yields; long season Tumbling Tom Red – patio variety, bushy plant perfect for containers; produces lots of tasty, bit sized fruit Sign up for a FREE tomato seed starting class at one of our participating nurseries (see our calendar) and take your first step towards tomato independence. And what TVFC event is complete without some delicious food? Everyone enjoyed several tasty tomato dishes, thanks to Sweet Valley Organics, Susan Medlin and Anna Tapia of Tapia Family Catering for preserving the summer’s bounty. (Recipes will be posted here soon, so stay tuned.) TVFC would like to thank our nursery…

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The Treasure Valley Food Coalition invites you to join us at the TIP Kickoff Celebration this weekend at Edwards Greenhouse. From 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. on January 12th we’ll inaugurate the beginning of the end of the tasteless tomato! We’ll be highlighting the four chosen tomato varieties that are in this year’s “TIP kits” as well as discussing our plans for the upcoming year. Come on out and enjoy some refreshments with us and learn more about this great project! Location: Edwards Greenhouse 4106 Sand Creek Street Boise  

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The Treasure Valley Food Coalition is proud to announce our upcoming project for 2013-2014, the Tomato Independence Project (TIP). After the Year of Idaho Food, we wanted to find a tangible way for people to participate in growing the local food economy in the Treasure Valley. When researching what it will take to meet our goal of having 20% of our food consumption be local by 2020, we found that the average American eats over 90 pounds of tomatoes per year. That’s a lot of tomatoes! And nothing tastes better than a tomato fresh from the garden in the summer, and nothing worse than a rock hard tomato in January… We’ve decided to make it our goal to have as many people as possible grow and/or eat local, fresh tomatoes in 2013. To start things off, we’re going to partner with local nurseries to provide “TIP kits” to anyone who wants to participate. These kits will contain things like seeds, growing instructions, the TIP logo, etc. Please check back in December for a list of participating retailers. We also hope to have taste testing events, seminars on caring for your plants, and local restaurants featuring local tomatoes. How to Participate:…

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