THE EVERYDAY FRUIT: Doctors have long recommended an apple a day -- or at least they did in 1940s-style jingles and ads -- but there's another plump, often red fruit that many of us turn to at least once every twenty four hours. It's the tomato, a wonder that's delicious and fortifying and full of lycopene and something that can be eaten raw and cooked (not every food can say that, if foods could say anything). We're probably less away of how often we consume tomatoes just because they can stealthily show up in spreads and salads as well as the more obvious pasta sauces. (Personally, a good tomato "bowl" holding a scoop of tuna salad is the ideal summer refreshment AND a charming throwback to the era when doctors told everyone to eat an apple a day.)
BUT... tomatoes don't often get the love of, say, cherries and strawberries and the sweeter eats on the fruit spectrum. There is the amazing traveling Tomatomania! each spring, the roadshow that puts gardeners and cooks in front of really good heirloom seeds, but we're wishing for more weekend festivals saluting the juicy orb. Fairfield, thank goodness, throws such a party, and will again on Saturday, Aug. 17 and Sunday, Aug. 18. And the name...?
FAIRFIELD TOMATO FESTIVAL: It's year 22 for the two-day food-focused gathering. Wine and food pairings will be a part of the Suisun Valley soiree, as will wine and beer tastings. Plus? Over a hundred varieties of heirlooms from the area will be up for sampling in Tomato Alley. ("Tomato Alley" is just fun to type.) Admission? Free. Good stuff. Our only wish, beyond more tomato love all the time, is that the olive festival down in Paso Robles on Aug. 17 could pop by Fairfield for a few hours. We mean, olives and tomatoes? Plus a little olive oil, too? What else does the perfect pasta sauce need?
WAIT... That's the next foodie festival for California: pasta sauces. Someone please get on that asap. Thank you.
