Jewels of the Urban Garden

Chiristi Vivar

by Neola Young
September 3, 2008

Only one fruit or vegetable elicits a mouth-watering reaction from me, and by mouth-watering, I mean literal saliva down the front of my dress. Tomatoes were my first love when it comes to produce. How can you not love these jewels of the garden? They come in so many shapes (cherry, paste, globe and beefsteak), colors (red, pink, orange, yellow, the South’s beloved green, and even white and purple) and have awesome names like Early Girl, Better Boy and Delicious. They are indeed delicious, and now it’s easier than ever to grow your own.

While the tomato is not native to North America (the first tomato reportedly appeared somewhere around 1710 in present-day South Carolina), it grows beautifully in Mississippi. Our semitropical summer climate is perfect for thriving, juicy fruits. Here’s the best news for those of you interested in urban farming, but who live in an apartment: Tomatoes are great container plants. You, too, can raise your own tomatoes in the coming months.

For the best advice for this endeavor, I asked my grandmother—the greenest thumb in these parts—also affectionately known as Mamaw. Mamaw says the best way to begin growing tomatoes is to get healthy starter plants from a nursery. While she is able to start with seeds in her greenhouse, either way, Mamaw says, “Go for the heirlooms.”

I second this invaluable advice as I personally believe heirlooms taste better than hybrid varieties, and especially better than the commercial plants you might see in some nurseries.

While there is much debate over what constitutes “heirloom,” I tend to believe heirlooms are just that: something nurtured and passed from one generation of a family to the next generation and so on.

Containers are great because you can change the soil from year to year, amending and supplementing as you go. If you are still not sold on the ease of growing your own tasty, juicy red bits of goodness, go to one of the local farmers’ markets, or scope out friends and family who might be privy to a local supply. I promise, you’ll thank me.

So what do you do with tomatoes once you have them? They are an extremely versatile produce that you can use throughout the year. My favorite way to eat them is to slice a super ripe beefsteak on toasted bread. My family adds mayonnaise to the mix, but I’m allergic to the stuff, so I tend to accessorize with salt and pepper only.

Tomatoes are great for sauces, salsas, salads and stews (with okra and onions). You should also never refrigerate your tomatoes because it will change the taste and texture, and why on earth would you do that? You might as well just go for the pale, slight specimens at the grocery.

But Mamaw would be disappointed.

Salsa Picada

4 globe or 6 Roma tomatoes (the redder, the better)
1 small bunch cilantro
1 large sweet onion (Vidalia, if available)
1 jalapeno pepper
1 tablespoon cumin
Salt
Coarse black pepper

Chop tomatoes, but not too finely, chunking them. Finely chop onion, cilantro and jalapeno and add to a bowl with tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt to taste, grind pepper and add cumin. Toss together. Now you have a colorful, refreshing condiment for tortillas, breads and other tasty meals.

 
posted by on 09/03/08 at 01:19 PM. [printer-friendly version]   

posted by Izzy aka Laurel Isbister on 09/30/08 at 09:14 AM