Smith Family Farm--Brentwood

[IrishCream]

Shortly after moving to the Bay Area last September, we discovered Smith Family Farm in Brentwood. Their u-pick vegies were/are 50 cents/lb. That included row after row of gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, such as Flames, Brandywines, Purple Cherokees, etc. We drove out to the farm this past weekend expecting to pick more than we could ever eat...but they had no heirlooms for picking! They don't stake their tomatoes, so the heirlooms were devestated by late rains in April and cool weather through June. They did have plenty of "regular" tomatoes, plus cukes, and many varieties of peppers, squash and eggplants.

Their farm stand has good-looking heirloom tomatoes for $1/lb. Also, for anyone planning to make Suvir's Tomato Chutney, the farm stand has 25 pound+ boxes of ripe tomatoes for $6 per box. Sigh, I was going to make the chutney this year but after moving two weeks ago I am too discombobulated! Maybe in a few weeks...

[marie-louise]

Tomato alert-keep your eyes peeled in hte next few weeks for something called "Dry Tomatoes." The vegetable store in The Market Hall (who's name espcapes me ath the moment) sells them, but I'm guessing others do as well. They stop irrigating their plants, which intensifies the flavor into the tomatoes. These are SO incredible. If you see them, buy them. They are small red tomatoes, probably an Early Girl or something.

[IrishCream]

What a great tip, marie-louise. Thank you. I have read about "dry gardening", but have yet to taste the results. I'll be watching for those tomatoes. In case I can't find them...where is the Market Hall?

[marie-louise]

The Market Hall is on College and I believe Hudson (next to the Rockridge BART.) It is a collection of food-related shops. Oliveto's is upstairs. It is my favorite place to shop for food.

[marie-louise]

The dry gardened tomatoes have arrived at the Market Hall produce store. They are from Molina [?] Creek Farm in Davenport. Tana-or anyone else in that area-know this farm? The sign at the store says, "These are the best tomatoes you will ever taste," and while that may be stretching it, they are very, very good.

[Socrates]

The dry gardened tomatoes have arrived at the Market Hall produce store. They are from Molina [?] Creek Farm in Davenport. Tana-or anyone else in that area-know this farm? The sign at the store says, "These are the best tomatoes you will ever taste," and while that may be stretching it, they are very, very good.

Yeah the Molino Creek dry farmed tomatoes are famous in this area. Xan. says their the best. We get them at the farmer's market and also the farm's sugar snap peas. And purple bell peppers!

[marie-louise]

Molino Creek's Dry-Farmed tomatoes once again available at the produce store at the Market Hall in Oakland.

[chasmartel]

There are several sellers of dry-farmed tomatoes at the Marin Farmer's Market (Sunday 8-1 and Thursday 8-1) at Marin Civic Center. There is a guy from Marin that dry farms potatoes and early girl tomatoes. Both are excellent!

[tanabutler]

The dry gardened tomatoes have arrived at the Market Hall produce store. They are from Molina [?] Creek Farm in Davenport. Tana-or anyone else in that area-know this farm? The sign at the store says, "These are the best tomatoes you will ever taste," and while that may be stretching it, they are very, very good.

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Hell, yes. Joe Curry's tomatoes at Molino Creek Farm!

These tomatoes, which are invariably Early Girls, are called "dry-farmed." The idea is to water them less and make their roots reach deep. Without the extra water, you have an extremely concentrated tomato flavor. Contrast that with a disgusting hard pink tomato in the grocery store that is "hydroponically grown." (I believe Rancho Gordo could address this very well.)

Many farmers are dry-farming tomatoes now. Early Girls are just one of those very few "if you could choose only one tomato, which would you want" varieties. I know several farmers who grow only that kind. They are perfect and red and lend themselves to sandwiches, tarts, foccacia, pizza, and insalata caprese like nobody's business. We always have two plants in our tomato garden, along with two Black Krim, a Green Zebra, and two Sungold cherry tomato plants. Add to that a dozen or so other heirlooms.

Molino Creek is a CASCC member. They are about to do one of the

Harvest Dinners at Theo's restaurant in Soquel, paired with Bonny Doon wines (Randall Grahm and Joe Curry will be in attendance).

As far as "the best tomatoes you will ever taste," I won't disagree. I would qualify: you might never taste a better tomato than a dry-farmed Early Girl. Molino Creek, Meder Street Farm, Dirty Girl, Jane Freedman's farm (I don't know the name of her farm in Corralitos, but she started Dirty Girl Farm), probably Happy Boy and Live Earth and Mariquita but I can't be sure without investigating. (Just as easy for other to Google).

Yeah, tomato geek here. But it's for a good cause.

[saulbass]

Molino Creek Farms has produced dry farmed tomatoes in Northern CA for years. I remember getting them at the Santa Cruz farmers market many years ago. They are without a doubt the best tomatoes i have ever tasted