It was the summer of 1945 in Bunol, Spain. A group of young men attending the Giants and Big Head figures parade filled with ..lets call it 'enthusiasm'. Six years of war was at a near end and there was an energy and excitement that was overflowing. One of these young men bumped another in the crowd and who fell into a heap of tomatoes that were on display for sale. Angry, the fallen man grabbed a tomato and threw it at the group of youths. Almost instantaneously a tomato fight broke out and people took to throwing the tomatoes at one another until the police were able to stop it. The following year, people actually brought tomatoes and knowingly started a fight with someone so that the events of the previous year were repeated. By 1957 the city turned it into an annual 1 hour event that is part of a week long festival that is full of happiness, friendship and energy :-)
Our tomatoes have been a bit slow to come. The intense heat of the past five weeks has played a part in that. You might find it interesting to know that despite what the people in marketing would have you think..there isn't such a thing as 'sun-ripened' tomatoes. Temperature is what dictates the pace of ripening. The fruit will stay green both if it is too cool and also if it is too hot. This bit of information was a game changer for us last year. We started to harvest our tomatoes in what is called the Breaker phase of ripening. Just a bit of red at the base of the fruit. We would then bring it indoors and keep the cases covered with a tarp so that the ethylene that is naturaly released is maximized to help us have better control over the ripening process. Works like a charm :-)
We invest deeply in our tomatoes because they are so popular. We've picked some nice varieties and I think you will be most pleased. So much so, as tempting as it might be to launch one at your neighbor... you will choose to put it on your plate instead :-)
Enjoy!
~Michael
'some say toe-matt-o while other's say toe-mate-o'
