in search of taste

Well, I did it. I actually got my sleepy self out of bed this morning & went to, not one, but two farmers markets. And if we are being honest here, I was a bit like a kid on Christmas morning. I kept peeking at the alarm clock every 15 to 20 minutes. Crazy right? All in the search of the perfect tomato plant.

I even had a co-pilot for my mission, William. He was just as excited to go as I. A little suspicious, I'll admit. But promises were made for no whining & plenty of patience and off we went. Upon our arrival, I discovered the reason for my sons enthusiasm...all the immediate pleasures on offer. Soft pretzels, cider donuts, kettle korn & his favorite, peach cider. Yup, I am that kind of mom. I let him have his fill of the bounty. It was just he & I and not a whimper of complaint. Definitely liked being the yes woman for once.

Ok, so back to my enthusiasm. The promise of juicy, jersey tomatoes, tart rhubarb & fresh herbs danced in my head. The morning was bright & full of promise. I was downright gleeful. And we found "Ramapo" tomatoes. Not the fancy heirloom plants I had hoped for but something all together better.

See unless you had a grandpa or aunt saving the seeds of their harvest to plant new tomatoes year in & out, true jersey tomatoes have been a dying breed. They have been hy-breed & otherwise tinkered with to hold up during shipping & handling. And if you remember driving home from the beach all hot & sandy (wave your shoobie flag proud!), there was usually a stop at one of the markets to pick up corn & tomatoes. No way was I allowed to hold the precious cargo either. True jersey tomatoes have very thin skin and juice to spare. You can actually leave a fingerprint on 'em when they are perfectly ripe.

So lucky for my kids (& their kids) Rutgers NJAES (NJ Agricultural Experiment Station) decided it was high time for these tasty beauties to make their return. Not sure if they found the elusive seeds ( my hope) or did their own tinkering. But it worked. The market was brimming with plants of all kind and the Ramapo tomato was highlighted thru out. Very cool to see. I'm hoping to be part of the authentic jersey tomato comeback. Send all you green thumb energy my way, I'm going to need it!