The tomato season is drawing to a close, I’m sad to say.  But as I always try to look on the bright side, I want to point out that you might have a bonus crop of Green Tomatoes sitting out there.  You will certainly find plenty of advice on how to bring those in and have them ripen for you over the next couple of months, and many of those strategies work pretty well.  However, I would advise you not to sock away ALL of your green bounty, but save a little for tasty green tomato dishes.  Green tomatoes are a fruit all unto their own.  They are full of bright tangy citrus-y flavor, and should be enjoyed for what they are.  Just don’t try to compare them to your favorite ripe tomato; they are a different fruit. 

During our Tomato Festival this year Chef Dan Brophy, from the Oregon Culinary Institute, gave a class on Preserving the Harvest.  One of his recipes, Salsa Verde, was a knock-out.  He had made it with green tomatillos, but he said it also works great for green tomatoes.  I highly recommend you give this one a try!

Salsa Verde

Yield: 3-4 cups

2 lbs                       tomatillos, husked and soaked in warm water  or green tomatoes

1 large                   yellow onion, peeled and diced fine

4 large                   garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and minced

2-4                          jalapeno chilies or to taste

3 Tbsp                   salad oil, canola, soy or olive

½ cup                     lime juice

1 bunch                 cilantro, leaves removed from stem and chopped

2 tsp                       ground cumin

1 tsp                       dried oregano

1 tsp                       Kosher salt

1 tsp                       freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients, except cilantro and spices in a large bowl or pan and mix together.  Place in a 400 degree oven and roast for 20-30 minutes.  Stir once or twice.  Mixture should be fragrant and showing signs of caramelization.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.   Process mixture in a blender or food processor, adding cilantro and remaining spices including salt and pepper.  Cover and chill. Sauce will keep under refrigeration for 3-5 days.

Chef Dan

For those of you who didn’t make it to our tomato festival, all I’ve got to say is, I’m sorry you missed all the great smells!  Chef Dan Brophy from the Oregon Culinary Institute cooked up some fantastic tomato recipes.  I’ll post one a day till we get all five out there to you. 

This creole sauce was very fragrant, and a little spicy with cayenne. 

Creole Sauce

Yield: 8 cups

2 cups                    onion, diced

2 cups                    celery, diced

2 cups                    bell pepper, red, green or mixed, diced

4                              garlic cloves, smashed, peeled, diced

¼ cup                     olive oil

2 quarts peeled, seeded, diced tomatoes (substitute canned, if necessary)

1 cup                      water

2                              bay leaves

1 teaspoon            fresh thyme leaves removed from stem

6 Tbsps  parsley, chopped

0-1 Tbsp                cayenne pepper

TT                           salt and black pepper

 Option:   1 Tbsp corn starch for thickening

 Saute onions, celery, peppers in olive oil. After they start to tenderize, add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes or so. Add tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Add remaining herbs and spices. Everything except corn starch. Simmer for about 1 hour. Thicken, if desired.  Traditionally served with chicken, shrimp or fish.

Remember to join us this Saturday, September 12th, for some tasty bites! 

We’re putting the finishing touches on our tomato festival – scouring the state to bring you the tastiest and best varieties of tomatoes to sample!  They’ll all be locally grown – whatever is ripe and available this week is what we’ll have on hand.  This is a free tasting, and we encourage you to take notes of your favorites, so that you’ll remember what you want to grow next year.  As usual, we will have great handouts so you will take home tons of useful information.

Here is a reminder of what we have planned ~

• Free tomato tasting.  We group similar types together, so you can sample them side by side.   Tasting table will be open at 11 AM until 4 PM.
• 11 AM – Chef Dan Brophy cooks up tomato recipes – taste samples!  Chef Dan, from the Oregon Culinary Institute, has been cooking up tomato recipes here since we began our festival, and his concoctions always get rave reviews.  He will also send you home with his recipes.
• 1 PM – Tomato Talk – Want to know which varieties have been the festivals’  favorites over the years?   We will cover the crowd fav’s, as well as how to grow your own, and which are the best varieties for this climate.  A few tricks of the trade, and you will be well on your way to growing tasty tomatoes of your own next year.
• 2 PM – Chef Dan returns for a second cooking segment – more great samples and more recipes!
• Red Ridge Farms local olive oil tasting throughout the day.

We hope you can join us for this fun celebration of  The Tomato!

Everyone, it seems, is interested in living local.  And for more and more Oregonians, that means growing more of their own food and preserving it for winter dining.  It doesn’t get more local than that.   I am seeing classes all over town lately on this topic – my grandmother would be so excited about this trend!

In this vein, we are offering a new class on this very topic.  Chef Dan Brophy from the Oregon Culinary Institute will be here to talk about the many ways of putting food by — canning, drying, infusions, root cellaring.  Since most people are just a little intimidated by canning, he will spend the most time there, walking us through the actual canning process from start to finish.   We love having Chef Dan here – he is terrific about explaining the how’s and why’s; I am confident you will go away knowing what you need to know.  And once you know the basics, you will be free to get creative with your harvest!

Preserving the Harvest with Chef Dan Brophy

Sunday, September 13th, 1-3 pm

Space will be limited for this FREE class, and registration is required;  please call us to reserved your spot:  503-649-4568.

Our annual Tomato Festival is coming soon – one of our favorite days of the year!  This free event originated as a way to celebrate the wonderful diversity of America’s favorite.  No longer must we be resigned to hard, tasteless, storebought tomatoes – we can grow dozens of flavorful, colorful varieties right in our own gardens.  Come taste for yourself the differences between Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra, Sun Gold and dozens of others – and discover your own favorites.  We provide lists to make note of your favorites, so you will know what to grow next season.  (Do you know that Farmington Gardens sells over 100 different varieties of tomato starts each spring?  We have become known as a favorite destination for veggie shoppers in the region!). 

Here is what we have planned ~

• Free tomato tasting, over 80 varieties, all locally grown.  We group similar types together, so you can sample them side by side.   Tasting table will be open at 11 AM until 4 PM.
• 11 AM – Chef Dan Brophy cooks up tomato recipes – taste samples!  Chef Dan, from the Oregon Culinary Institute, has been cooking up tomato recipes here since we began our festival, and his concoctions always get rave reviews.  He will send you home with his recipes.
• 1 PM – Tomato Talk – Want to know which varieties have been the festivals’  favorites over the years?   We will cover the crowd fav’s, as well as how to grow your own, and which are the best varieties for this climate.  A few tricks of the trade, and you will be well on your way to growing tasty tomatoes of your own next year.
• 2 PM – Chef Dan returns for a second cooking segment – more great samples and more recipes!
• Red Ridge Farms local olive oil tasting throughout the day. www.redridgefarms.com  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  
  
  

Le Tour des Plants is fast becoming an annual regional event that gardeners have come to anticipate.  Participating independent garden centers plan interesting classes, demonstrations, and special give-aways to celebrate the fall garden season.  Did you know that  Fall is The Best Time to plant trees, shrubs, and perennials?  Well, it is — the soil is still warm and  nurturing and, combined with the autumn rains, plants have a much easier time getting established.  In Oregon we are blessed with long mild autumns, so it is still a rich and abundant time in the garden. 

Stop in and pick up your free official program - complete with maps, schedule of events, and passport.  In order to participate in the Le Tour drawing for some fabulous prizes, you will want to get your passport stamped at each garden center you visit during Le Tour.  The more you visit, the higher value prizes you are eligible for!   Top prize is valued at over $600.

Le Tour des Plants runs September 12 -20.  Here is what we have going on at Farmington Gardens – we hope you will stop by and say hello!

All Week - Hot New Plants from Terra Nova – Check out our week-long showcase of exciting new perennials from Terra Nova Nursery.

 Saturday, September 12 — 11 AM – 4 PM     7^th Annual Tomato Festival

• Free tomato tasting, over 80 varieties, all locally grown
• 11 AM – Chef Dan Brophy cooks up tomato recipes – taste samples!
• 1 PM – Tomato Talk – learn how to grow your own, and which are the best varieties for this climate
• 2 PM – Chef Dan returns for a second cooking segment – more great samples!
• Red Ridge Farms local olive oil tasting throughout the day
• Check our website for all the day’s activities

 Sunday, September 13  1 PM – 3 PM     Preserving the Harvest, with Chef Dan Brophy from the Oregon Culinary Institute

Take advantage of the abundant harvest – from your own garden or the farmer’s market!  Chef Dan Brophy, of the Oregon Culinary Institute, will show you how easy it is to preserve food for the winter.  He will have information on dehydration, root cellars, and infusions, but will focus most of his time on the art and science of canning.  Once you master these techniques, your family will truly be living local, in a sustainable and healthy way!  Space is limited and registration required; call 503-649-4568.  Free class.

 Friday, September 18     1 PM;  $35      Green and Edible Wall Art, with Landscape Designer Lisa Annand

During this hands-on workshop, you will construct a beautiful vertical garden – your choice of edibles or succulents.  This thoroughly chic “green wall art” would look great on a deck, handy for picking and enjoying!  Space is limited and registration required; call 503-649-4568.

 Saturday, September 19    3 PM; $10     Girlfriends’ Afternoon Getaway  ~ Awesome Au Courant Fall Container Gardens, with Laura Nash and Marinda Parks from Farmington Gardens

Grab your best friend or your mom, and join us for a gardening afternoon.  Enjoy nibblies and a glass of sparkling wine while Laura and Doris inspire you with their container garden creations!  You will leave with “recipe cards” for each of their collections, as well as lots of trendy ideas for fall containers.  Space is limited and registration required; call 503-649-4568.

 Sunday, September 20    1 PM     Great New Perennials for Your Garden

Larry Finley from Terra Nova Nursery will introduce us to some fantastic new perennials.  Larry offers a very entertaining discussion about where these plants originated; how Terra Nova developed them for commercial markets; and most importantly, how best to use them in your own garden.  Class registration is limited to 50 – please call 503-649-4568 to sign up.  As an added bonus, Larry will bring a special gift for everyone in the class!

 Specials

•  One free 1 gal Terra Nova Coreopsis ‘Autumn Blush’ or ‘Gold Nugget’ with purchase of any 1 gal or larger Terra Nova merchandise.  One per customer please.  While supplies last!
• 50% off regular priced select containers and container gardens.  While supplies last!