There’s Nothing Like a Late Summer Tomato
As always, thank you to everyone who came out this past weekend. The weather was perfect, the market was bustling, and we’re so grateful for your continued support this season.
While many of you may be heading out of town for the holiday weekend, the market will still be here on Saturday!
And as we soak up everything that peak produce season has to offer, we have to take a moment to celebrate one of our absolute favorite things: a late-summer tomato.
In years past, we’ve dedicated one market day to our official Tomato Celebration. We aren't doing anything quite so official this year, but honestly, tomatoes this good deserve a little attention anyway.
So this week, we're celebrating all things tomato.
Why Are Late-Summer Tomatoes So Good?
There is something about biting into a locally grown tomato in late August or early September that just tastes different.
By this point in the season, tomato plants have had months of sunshine, warm weather, and time to mature. When tomatoes are allowed to ripen fully on the vine and don't have to travel very far to reach your kitchen, we get to enjoy them at their very best.
Plenty of summer sunshine: Tomatoes need warmth and sunlight to grow and ripen, and our long summer days give plants plenty of both.
Time to mature: By late summer, established tomato plants have developed substantial root systems and have been growing for months.
Vine-ripened goodness: One of the biggest advantages of shopping locally is proximity. Tomatoes can be harvested closer to peak ripeness rather than being picked early so they'll withstand a long journey.
Flavor, aroma, and texture: A truly ripe tomato gives you the whole package — sweetness, acidity, that unmistakable tomato aroma, and a juicy texture that's very hard to replicate outside of tomato season.
In other words, this is the time to eat the tomatoes.
Find All Things Tomato at the Market
Of course, our farmers are the first stop.
Swing by Kelly’s Farm, Moonlight Farm, or Farmer Dave’s and load up on fresh tomatoes. Depending on what's coming out of the fields that week, you may find everything from Romas and heirlooms to pints of sweet cherry tomatoes.
But the tomato love doesn't stop at the farm tents.
L’Amore Della Pasta has a delicious tomato sauce made from a family recipe, and Bagels N Brew is launching a brand-new Tomato Cream Cheese at the market this Saturday.
Then head over to Black Eyed Susan Sheep Dairy or Life Love Cheese for some fresh cheese, and suddenly you have everything you need for the ultimate tomato sandwich, a simple tomato salad, or one very good late-summer snack.
Fresh bread. Local cheese. A perfectly ripe tomato. Maybe a little salt.
Does it really need to be more complicated than that?
Come Enjoy Late Summer by the Lake
September may be here, but we're not rushing summer out the door just yet.
This is one of the most abundant times of the entire farmers market season, and there's still so much local food to enjoy as summer slowly gives way to fall.
Whether you come for a bag full of tomatoes, your weekly groceries, something delicious for lunch, or simply to spend a little time with your neighbors by the lake, we're excited to have you in our corner of Wakefield.
We'll see you Saturday from 9 AM–1 PM.
And maybe bring an extra tote bag. It's tomato season, after all!
