Excited from My Head TO-MA-TOES
The long awaited season is finally upon us and we have officially arrived at tomato town! Each year, this season comes with great expectation and, as soon as it’s here, it’s hits us at a million miles an hour. Without fail, we always end up asking, “Why are we growing so many tomatoes again?” No one has a more unique and delicious selection of tomatoes than Spade & Plow and this year, as always, we’ve amped up our varieties with selected specialty seeds, sweet flavors, and super rad sales outlets (now try saying that 3 times fast!). We’re stoked to fill you in below on the inside scoop for 2022’s summertime ‘maters.
The Story
Here at the farm, most of our staff have a love-hate relationship with tomatoes. They’re one of the tastiest commodities we grow and our varieties are one of a kind. S&P heirlooms are tough to find anywhere else on the market, ranging in every color and size you can think of, so it’s no surprise that they bring in huge summertime sales revenue (not to mention consistent snacks for our farm crew). Yet, they’re such a headache! They spoil quickly, require consistent harvesting, are prone to pest damage, and are a pain to stake and un-stake each season.
Alas, we find ourselves growing new varieties year after year, changing around planting dates and sizes, hiring canning companies, experimenting with grafting , and nixing then reintroducing cherry tomatoes. Why all the effort? Once you try one, you'll understand.
This year we’re partnering with a specialty tomato seed breeder, Fred Hempel, from Artisan Seeds in Sunol. Nearly every tomato variety, tomato decision, and tomato sales outlet for this year can be pointed back to Fred- he is truly the tomato guru. Fred breeds seeds that are not only delicious, but have a good shelf life and stay on the vine longer. As we increase our sales outlets and try to decrease our waste, that’s exactly what we’re looking for in a tomato (love at first sight? Perhaps!)
The Spread
The returns: (1) Pink Brandywine, (2) Striped German, (3) Atomic Grape, (4) Blue Beauty, (5) Lucid Gem
Back by popular demand, though some on a smaller scale, these classic heirlooms will be offered in CSA, farmers market, and wholesale outlets.
The new arrivals:
(6) Canestrino di Lucca: Growing primarily for sauce and canning; Lucca is a chef in NYC and he’s obsessed with this variety after bringing it to the states from his little town in Italy. He claims that there’s no other tomato like it for making the best sauce!
(7) Green Bee Cherry: These special cherry tomatoes are crunchy and never soften. They are rich with a sweet and tangy flavor and hints of plum. When ripe, shades of yellow and pink are visible.
(8) Golden CherryWine: Fruits are yellow to orange with green shoulders that fade with ripening. Highly productive and delicious, you can’t go wrong with these plants.
(9) Benevento: According to our friend Fred at Artisan Seeds, Benevento may turn into a whole line of unique colors and flavors as he keeps developing it. They’re a slicer tomato, like a big beef steak, with a longer shelf life and firmer tomato ‘shoulders.’
(10) Marzano Fire: Great for canning and sauces; this year, unlike previously, we’re starting our Marzanos earlier and growing them in every planting, instead of just late season.
(11) Amalfi Orange: A new orange beefsteak tomato that combines heirloom flavor with commercial slicer fruit characteristics. Beautiful both on your sandwich and in your mouth.
The Sale
Along with sales to our regular CSA and farmer’s market customers, we’re thrilled to be “tomato-partners” with a few new great local companies.
(1) Eataly: Popular Italian restaurant & specialty grocer with upscale cafeteria vibe. They just opened up a site this June in San Jose! We’re looking forward to hearing their feedback and seeing how they prepare & sell our tomatoes. (See here for more on Eataly)
(2) Good Eggs: Grocery delivery service that allows customers to curate their own box. Sustainable, convenient, local, and transparent- we’re pumped to be able to sell our tomatoes to Good Eggs in the Bay! (See here for more on Good Eggs)
(3) Vesta Foodservice: A local food distributor working primarily with restaurants and chefs to provide high quality produce, dairy and specialty ingredients. (See here for more on Vesta)