"Tomato" news and stories

The dark side of cantaloupe. Photo: oskay, Flickr

• A sure-fire list of tips for picking the perfect cantaloupe.
• Want baked potatoes but don't feel like dealing with the hassle? Think ahead, bake 'em once, and then discover the lure of the twice-baked tater.
  
• San Diego's selection of slushy drinks might be slim, but here are the recipes for some of the best adult versions in watering holes around town.
• Brandy and nutmeg or Cognac and espresso milkshake, anyone? Spirited renditions of the classic milkshake.
• When a diet restricts, here's how to indulge in a creamy linguine without the heavy cream.
• Three ways to delight in your tomato love: oven-roasted, in a vinaigrette or folded into sorbet.

Clams on ice. Photo: bensonkua, Flickr

• The ins and outs of a classic clambake, from sand pits to leftovers.
• Fresh summer veggies can provide a new and tasty twist on the classic coleslaw.
• How a kitchen ecosystem of what you have on-hand and ready can make all the difference when cooking.
• Suh Asian Fusion Restaurant's Japanese-Korean menu offers a mix of traditional fare and modern fusion cuisine.
  
• Does a tomato of any name taste as sweet, or is it all in the taste buds of the eater?
• Southern favorite Blue Bell Ice Cream makes its way to Fort Collins, Colorado.

Martha Stewart. Photo: Mario Tama, Getty Images.

Martha's got the blight! Martha's got the blight!

At first, hearing that the doyenne of domesticity has fallen prey to the same late blight that struck thousands of gardens might produce that "it can happen to all of us" smirk -- like when the popular high school cheerleader got a zit.

But to look at this photo gallery is heartbreaking to anyone who has ever gardened (including this journalist) or enjoyed a succulent August tomato. Martha lost 70 percent of her 50 varieties of tomatoes. Beautiful, plump fruits suddenly went leafless in July, and now look horrendous -- like an outtake from an "X-Files" episode.

It's worth surfing through her gallery for tips on how to properly stake plants or simply to see what this unusual blight looks like close-up.

[Via The Martha Blog]

Photo: La tartine gourmande, Flickr

Those perplexed by this season's tomato blight, aka "late blight", or simply wondering why the heck the price of the beloved ruby-hued edibles has gone through the roof of late would do well to read this piece by chef/ restaurateur/ locavore Dan Barber in Sunday's New York Times.

Barber reveals that Stone Barns, the farm that is part of his restaurant north of New York City lost half its tomatoes in the span of only three days due to the "pernicious" blight sweeping the northeast. Many organic farmers have been forced to spray using pesticides, losing their organic certifications in the process.

Evidently the spring's wet weather has proved a "four-star hotel" for late blight. Americans looking to save money this year -- seven million more of us investigated home gardening this year -- unknowingly bought starter plants infected with blight from large industrial stores. Ironically, this helped create the problem, as tiny "Trojan horse" vines popped up on windowsills and in cages along the eastern seaboard.

Has late blight made an impact on you yet?


[Via the New York Times]

Heirloom tomato salad. Photo: Eric Diesel

If you're lucky enough to live near a farmers market, don't forget to thank your local farmer and gardener for that sparkling-fresh produce, especially those who grow heirloom vegetables and fruits. In addition to growing delicious produce, they're cultivating history, right on the vine.

Though there are some differences of opinion about its exact definition, an heirloom variety of fruit or vegetable is generally agreed to be one that has been cultivated for at least 50 years. Beans are an heirloom veggie ever-growing in popularity, but the food that truly sings of summer is the tomato.

Heirloom tomatoes are beginning to appear in gardens, at roadside stands and lining produce aisles. In honor of the unique flavors and colors of these beauties, beyond the jump is an original recipe for a summer tomato salad: history you can eat. But remember to save some seeds -- preserving them is the least we can do for these species that give so much to us.