Nutritional Fireball! Tomatoes Make the Grade in Health & Taste

There is plenty of passion for the fresh tomato. When this veggie-turned-fruit took off in the world of nutrition, it was good news for those who love it – and so many of us do, enjoying it in sauces, on pizzas, in sandwiches, and in salads. But during the season, the fresh tomato is infinitely easy to enjoy. A local beefsteak or heirloom can be sliced and eaten with just salt and pepper. Or, add mozzarella, olive oil, and basil and eat within minutes of picking to enjoy all the tasty sweetness that nature intended.

While wild blueberries are heralded for their versatility with meals – they move from breakfast to lunch to dessert with ease – tomatoes also work in unexpected ways during the season, making full use of their categorization of both fruit (botanically) and vegetable (culinarily). The tomato is an end-of-summer delight whether on toast or with eggs for breakfast, cooked into a tarte for lunch, or served, as in this Green Tomato Pie, as a palate-pleasing dessert. And, just as wild blueberries show off there high polyphenol content in their deep blue skin, tomatoes advertise lycopene in their fiery color – the nutritional key to what makes them a superior indulgence.

The Skin They’re In

We know much of the mystique of the wild blueberry resides in its skin. When you eat a serving of wild blues, you are eating plenty of tender, colorful skin, and that’s where the nutrients reside. Polyphenols, which are responsible for the dark blue coloring, carry the potent antioxidant effect. Tomatoes are similar – their skin is their strength. The red pigment is a sign of nutritional value and the existence of lycopene, a phytochemical found in red fruits and vegetables. It’s present in peppers, carrots and watermelon as well.

Studies show lycopene holds antioxidant properties – at least when it occurs in its natural form. Tomatoes also contains vitamin C, folate, and potassium which may work in synergy with lycopene to make the tomato so nutrient rich. Because of its antioxidant properties, the tomato can help protect us against cancer and other diseases of aging by protecting our cells from damage.

But is the buzz about tomatoes really news? Sort of. While we’ve always known fruits and vegetables provide us with high nutritional value, it’s only recently that scientists have made the connection between the tomato and lower risk of disease. Also notable is research indicating that unlike most fresh fruits and vegetables, cooking tomatoes increases their nutrition. In fact, a recent study indicates that the lycopene present in a cooked tomato may slow the growth of or even kill prostate cancer cells. Cooking, it seems, increases the bioavailability of the lycopene, which is bound within the raw tomato in a way that the body can’t efficiently use. It’s news that makes our love for eating tomatoes in sauces and cooked into so many favorite recipes quite fortuitous.

Buying a Killer Tomato

If you must look beyond your own backyard for a tomato this season, here are some ways to get the best at farmer’s markets and grocery stores:

  • Choose a local tomato. Local has less distance to travel, so it’s fresher and tastier, and it’s picked when it’s riper. Commercial tomatoes endure off-the-vine ripening and hybridization that saps flavor, the bane of winter tomato lovers.
  • Try the heirlooms. Heirloom tomatoes are grown naturally and represent the best of the bunch.
  • At the grocery store, go for UglyRipe or Kumato. These varieties have sweeter, juicer taste, according to Cook’s Illustrated.
  • Don’t choose photo-worthy tomatoes. Non-commercial tomatoes are rarely perfectly shaped; even a crack in the skin is A-OK, says Cook’s. Also, don’t be fooled by the vine-ripened label, they advise. While better than commercial tomatoes that are picked while green and blasted with ethylene gas, the “vine-ripened” moniker means most of the ripening still occurs off the vine – just 10% of the skin is required to be red to get the designation.
  • Never refrigerate. Cold reduces flavor, so store tomatoes at room temperature, even if they have been cut (then, just wrap in plastic and use within days).

A Tomato Makes the (Entire) Meal

Tomatoes bring versatility to the table when summer is high. While sauces are fine for winter comfort foods, recipes that capitalize on freshness are the key to summer tomato eating. Here are four that represent an entire meal, proving that no matter the course, tomatoes never have to sit it out this time of year.

The Cocktail: Star Ledger’s Spirited Gardner serves up a tomato-infused cocktail garnished with a mozzarella ball. Refreshing!

The Salad: Making full use of the season’s bounty is this superfruit-infused Tomato, Watermelon, & Blueberry Salad from About a Mom.

The Entrée: Lunch doesn’t get any better when it comes to fresh tomatoes than this Tomato Basil Frittata from Connecticut Chef Melanie Driscoll.

The Dessert:  This Bon Appetit Tomato Tarte Tatin is a  taste revelation as well as a lycopene winner. According to the description, “As the tomatoes cook in the caramel, they become sweet and tender but retain their clean, fresh flavor. Prepare to be blown away.”

Why Go to Market in the Winter? 5 Reasons Besides the Veggies

Mississippi Honey by NatalieMaynor, on Flickr
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License  by  NatalieMaynor This week, the Portland Press Herald’s Natural Foodie provided us with a timely reminder of the local proliferation of farmers markets in our state. If you live in Midcoast Maine, you already know that the area excels when it comes to indoor markets. It’s where you’ll find Brunswick’s Fort Andross, for example, with its 56 vendors selling their wares. According to the article, the inspiring 1,000 shoppers it attracts on Saturdays has served as a model for others as winter markets respond to public demand for year-round local, fresh foods.Winter Farmers Markets Go Beyond Veggies 

It’s not a surprise that Maine has experienced an indoor market boon. The Department of Agricultural Resources says there’s been a 400% increase in the number of winter markets since 2009. It’s becoming a weekly must for shoppers wanting to load up on vegetables to maintain nutrition throughout the winter months, and a way to find inexpensive, delicious fresh food that helps provide income to sustain local farmers. What more could you want in a shopping experience?

Actually, there IS more to farmers markets during the winter season. We did a little digging of our own and found local markets offer much more than squash and potatoes (although they have those too!).


5 (Other) Reasons to Visit Winter Markets

  • Holiday supplies. Local markets are a surefire way to get in the spirit of the season. They almost always have vendors offering holiday wreaths, poinsettias and holly during December.
  • Party fare. Local cheesemakers can help you make a party plate for a gathering that will blow your guests away. We love Hahn’s End, available at the Bath Winter Farmer’s Market. They offer artisan cheese made with raw cow’s milk aged in their aging cellar in Phippsburg. Pick up flowers and some local wine, and you’re done.

  • Honey. Sweet gold from the bee is so popular that there’s a new business in Portland dedicated to it. You’ll often find honey at farmers markets in the winter. Try Tom’s Honey & More at the Portland Winter Market.
  • Gifting. Winter farmers markets are gift central during the holiday. Crafts and homemade foods are thoughtful for local friends and family, and they are especially unique to those who live away. Markets bulk up on ideas for gift baskets in December, such as teas, canned jams, relishes and salsa, and other non-food items. Find hand-braided sweaters from Braid a Rug at York’s Winter Gateway Farmers Market, along with handmade jewelry from Catrina Marshall Creations, and soaps and lotions from Maine Herb Farm.

  • Organic meats. If you are looking for a reason to head to a market on a cold Saturday morning, an array of organic and farm-raised meats, poultry and duck is one. Try all-natural angus beef, beef jerky, and mother-fed, free-range rose veal from Eastern River Cattle Company, all raised on a 118-acre farm in Dresden. Track them down at the Brunswick Winter Market, where you’ll also find holiday turkeys, chicken sausage and turkey pie from Maine-ly Poultry. If you’re looking for poultry that’s less evolved, you’ll find farm fresh eggs at most winter markets – nothing beats them.

Read more about how indoor markets keep local food handy all year and get a list of markets in southern Maine.

Not in Maine? Find a winter market in your area at Local Harvest.

It’s National Farmers Market Week!

Celebrate By Targeting These 5 Market Fresh Foods Farmers’ Market by NatalieMaynor, on Flickr
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License  by  NatalieMaynor It’s not unusual to get a hankering for a bag of farm fresh potatoes (bursting with a variety of phytonutrients). Around the time when the urge hits, wouldn’t it be great to watch them instantly turn into a Garden Vegetable or Zesty Corn and Potato Salad? You can! Maine Foodie Finds digs deep into Maine’s farmers markets and comes up with gorgeous red potatoes and glowing yellow string beans, all fresh from the ground and vine, then uses a little culinary magic to turn these summer nuggets into foodie gold.

It’s easy to get inspired with seasonal ingredients when there is so much pleasure in the hunt. Take a lesson, and hit your own kitchen with your take. It’s the perfect activity for National Farmers Market Week. In July, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack proclaimed August 7th to the 13th, 2011 as National Farmers Market Week – again. It marks the twelfth year markets have been given the national nod.

According to the USDA, the number of farmers markets have multiplied continuously since in 1994, increasing by 16% just last year – these beloved gathering places for fruits and veggies (and other things, like meats, breads, and cheeses, of course) currently number 6,132 nationwide. Year-round markets have increased as well. It means better access to local, fresh food for more people more often. That’s something to celebrate.

In honor of National Farmers Market Week, the Portland Farmers Market  in Portland Maine is challenging everyone to prepare at least three meals this week using ingredients entirely purchased at the Market. The food gauntlet is down!

5 Fresh Fruit & Veggie Finds for August

What’s healthy and delicious in August for your (at least) three market-sourced meals? Here are five fruits and vegetables that are likely to populate your local shopping hot spots this month. Get them while you can, and make the most of this seriously servings-rich season.

Wild Blueberries

The verdict is in! It’s harvest time for the tens of thousands of acres in Maine and Canada currently being stripped of their glorious blue color. If you aren’t already smothering your plate with antioxidant-rich disease-preventing wild blueberries, now is the time to start a healthy habit. Initiate yourself with a handful for your salad, sauté some up with a little red wine for a sauce or vinaigrette, use them to lend a spark to fish (try this Tuna Carpaccio with Wild Blueberry Wasabi Sauce), chicken or pork (Wild Blueberry Rhubarb Pork Chops anyone?), and finish with a charlotte or a crumble. The big, blue world is open to you!

dogs n corn by 46137, on Flickr
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License by  46137 

Corn

Nothing tastes more like August than corn fresh from the garden. August is the month when those pencil-thin stalks start growing to edible size, and the golden gems of summer offer up their sweet taste straight off the stalk, if you like. Get your fill of the essential summer taste of corn by grilling it with a shake of cayenne or cilantro. Make some summer corn chowder, or use it in a colorful salad. While buttered and salted may be a family favorite, we’re up to our ears in ways to leverage this classic summer veggie. Here’s ten sweet recipes from The Kitchen.

Tomatoes

Whether you put their taste on display in a classic caprese salad, in an elegant tomato and lemon mascarpone tart or stuffed with fresh summer corn, tomatoes are the best ever in late summer. There’s simply no taste like a late summer tomato warm from the sill, and thanks to their lycopene, they provide superior health benefits to boot. Eat up, or save your take for a midwinter marinara by preserving them says, the Portland Press Herald.

Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License 

Peppers

There’s a lot to love about peppers, and while bell peppers can be found year round, late summer they are at their shiny, tasty best. Peppers are a good source of vitamin C, thiamine, vitamin B6, beta carotene, and folic acid, and they contain large amounts of phytochemicals, providing exceptional antioxidant activity. Not to mention, they are a perfect ingredient: they provide sweetness, crunch, and bright color to hundreds of recipes. If you love a stuffed pepper (go meat!) now’s the time. But don’t limit yourself to stuffing. Make it simple, with a sweet and sour bell pepper salad, or try Gourmet Magazine’s logic-defying Chilled Red Bell Pepper and Habanero Soup, a sensational cold soup that’s also hot.

Summer Squash

Summer squash peaks at summer’s end and these long, green vegetables are plentiful for good reason. While they may not be known as one of the antioxidants powerhouses, summer squash is a very strong source of key antioxidant nutrients, including the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, which could play a role in preventing memory loss, vision loss and heart disease. The skin of summer squash is particularly antioxidant-rich, so leave it intact when you can. (You can read up about the health benefits of summer squash at Livestrong.com.) This versatile veggie can be your go-to summer food during all of August and beyond. It is perfect for stuffing, grilling, tossing with feta and tomatoes, or even putting it in a cupcake.

How are you preparing your (at least) three meals this week using ingredients entirely purchased at the farmers markets? Tell us!

Healthy Eating from the Farm

How To Be Part of a Rare Food Relationship

Farmers markets showcase the edible gems of the local community. Of course they provide access to a rich, fresh selection of foods to fill our kitchen and our plates. But farmers markets do even more good. If you take a moment to consider the benefits of these local gathering places ornamented with veggies, fruits, meats, cheeses and flowers, you can’t help but get the picture that the food extravaganza in your town is more than just colorful commerce.

First, and perhaps most importantly, farmers markets provide a remarkably rare opportunity for farmers and consumers to develop a relationship. Farmers meet the mouths that they feed, and consumers see where their corn is picked, what dairy farm their goat cheese comes from, and what goes into (and doesn’t go into) the foods they are toting home. It’s a wonderful way to develop a connection with our food and our local farmers while simultaneously providing them with direct remuneration for their dedication.

Furthermore, finding the freshest foods of the season can help us branch out when it comes to eating. Spontaneous buys based solely on availability and interest are not only allowed at farmers markets – they are part of the experience. Haven’t had okra for a while? Bell peppers missing from your plate? Been years since you made a blueberry cobbler? Use the season’s foods to take advantage of new ways of eating and to revisit old friends. And, farmers markets help you eat safely and organically. Looking for foods without antibiotics or growth hormones? Seek out organic farms, and ask smaller farmers about their growing philosophy. Some may not have the paperwork for organic certification, but they may still abide by a no-pesticide or no-antibiotic rules.

Finally, since one of the most important principles of eating well is to put a rainbow of hues on your plate, farmers markets are rife with color. One visit can be the in-road to eating your way through the color spectrum and radically enhancing your health. Start with wild blueberries, add some luscious deep greens, berries, or squash, and round out your bag with a few bright yellow and red tomatoes, and presto, you’ve got a rainbow in your bag.

Ready to go to market? Here are some ways to make it efficient and fruitful:

Set aside some time.
 
Don’t think of your trip as the same as popping in to the grocery store. You’ll want to browse the selection of wares, and you’ll need the patience to make your way through the crowds. Think of your visit as an event, where browsing, chatting, and enjoying the summer morning is part of the experience.

Timing is everything. 

While intuition says arrive early, about.com suggests that going early or late can mean you are market savvy. Early provides the best selection, while late can mean deals for items that farmers don’t want to tote home.

Comparison shop. 

It’s just Farmers Marketing 101 – browse the entire market first, then purchase. You’ll see many of the same foods showcased, and prices and quality always vary.

Connect.
 
Where else can you look the person who grew your food in the eye and ask them anything you want to? Farmers are a wealth of information. They’ll help direct you to products you want, give you tips for your own garden, and often provide you with a sample. They probably also know a favorite recipe for the wares they are selling.

Bring your own.

Don’t forget to pack: You’ll need reusable bags and cash – preferably ones and fives, so sellers can go easy on the change.

Have a meal plan.

It’s easy to pick up lots of items that look great, but when you get home, it might be hard to develop a meal around raspberries and zucchini blossoms. Hard core marketers suggest a little advance planning. You can leave some wild cards for those spontaneous purchases.

Do some taste testing.

This neat tip from ivillage.com can only be done at the market: Buy a sampling of fruit, peppers, tomatoes, garlic or whatever you fancy from several vendors, then take them home for a taste test. You’ll know where to bee-line next week, and you’ll learn about the characteristics and a particular fruit or veggie – in other words, you’ll be on your way to being a farmers market pro.

 A Note on Community Supported Agriculture, or CSAs

Helping yourself to the local bounty can be a major inspiration to be part of Community Supported Agriculture. CSAs are communities of individuals who pledge support to a farm by paying a set price to receive part of the farm’s bounty. As a shareholder, growers and consumers share the risks and benefits throughout the entire growing season, and take advantage of a weekly share of fresh seasonal foods for up to 25 weeks.

Find out more about CSAs and find a farm in your state or zip code. Part of a CSA this season? The Crisper Whisperer has great ideas for what to do with that box of wonders.

There’s More Online

At MyPyramid.com there are some practical tools to get the most out of the season’s riches. The MyPyramid Menu Planner will help assist you in your quest for health, and you can also search for a Farmers Market – their database contains 4,800 of the country’s markets.