*Note: The writer of this email is in no way positing herself, nor this post to be, in fact, erudite. She was merely searching for a catchy title.
Bringing local, farm-fresh organic produce to Crown Heights & Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
*Note: The writer of this email is in no way positing herself, nor this post to be, in fact, erudite. She was merely searching for a catchy title.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Tomatoes
OR “Good God, why are you still keeping them in the fridge?”
So Tomato season is about to be upon us. I don’t know about ya’ll, but a fresh summertime tomato is pretty much my raison d’etre. Everything else is me just waiting around to die.
…Hm…. That got dark.
Anywayyyyy.. Tomatoes should NEVER be kept in the fridge. There’s science that can explain why, but essentially it makes them mealy and ruins their flavor quickly, which is a crime punishable in several provinces of Italy. So just don’t do it!
Instead? Keep them at room temperature in a fruit bowl or similar vessel. Line the bowl with a paper towel on the bottom, and set them stems up. Their stem area is the most fragile so don’t stack them, and be sure to pick them up and move em around in the bowl each day so they don’t sit too long on one side and start to rot.
Don’t squeeze em, lest you bruise them! Keep their temperature as consistent as possible. Only leave them in the sun if they need to ripen, and keep them away from heat sources like ovens.
In other words, treat them like fragile little babies.
And then slice them up and put them on sliced bread spread copiously with mayonnaise and gobble them up with a savage fury.
The end.
How you keeping up with all those greens? Drowning in salad yet?
If so, then perhaps consider this idea, which can be found on nearly every blog that has the word “Mommy” in the title:
By giving us small potted plants as opposed to pre-cut herbs, Farmer Ted, in his infinite wisdom, is giving us a gift that keeps on giving. All you have to do is keep it alive.
YOU: “But potted herbs? I can’t grow things! What am I supposed to do with these?”
ME: “There’s a lot to worry about right now, and growing herbs shouldn’t be one of them. Relax: You Can Do This. Here are some low-effort, decidedly unfancy potting tips for the verdantly challenged.
Step 1: Pick a vessel.
Don’t think you have any pots? Sure you do. Look in that recycling bin over there. See that 2 liter empty plastic water bottle? That empty coffee tin? That Sapporo tall boy can? That old 20oz tin can of beans? Rinse that puppy out, cut the top off (if needed), poke or drill a couple holes in the bottom of that sucker so that water will drain out, turn it right side up and stick it on a little saucer…know what I call that? A freaking flower pot.
Step 2: Get some dirt.
Wow, how cool! You grew some basil/cilantro/mint/whatever and it’s now, like, a foot tall or something! So cut some off and use it!The idea here is that you want to promote new growth and you want your herbs to bush rather than spire. When they get all long and gangly they aren’t so hot on leaf production. So the best method is to pinch or snip small amounts from all over the plant, rather than cutting large sections off one stem a time. This kind of “hair cut” method will prompt it to double it’s leaves on each stem, thereby getting all bushy ‘n’ stuff. Trim or pinch right above where there are new leaves, so that they can be the new “top” of that stem. LIKE THIS