The Finley family grows my beautiful beefy red and greenish yellow heirloom tomatoes on their 70 acre farm in the Santa Ynez Valley several hours north of Los Angeles. Chris and his beautiful, strong wife of ten years, Johanna, have two robust, healthy children: rosy-cheeked, five-year-old daughter Ashlin, and Quinlin, a busy, towheaded two-year-old boy. When you stop by the stand, Johanna always offers a slice of the juicy homegrown fruit to taste. Chris knows more about the history of the tomato than the genealogy of his Scottish ancestors. He will regale you with stories if you have the time to listen. Most shoppers do.
This Is how I learned to fall in love with the tangy-sweet red fruit absentmindedly grouped in the vegetable family. I wouldn’t be the first customer at Finley Farms’ vegetable stand to exclaim, "This tomato tastes like a tomato!" What a treat! Now when I go to the grocery store, I walk past the waxy hard and flavorless uniform Roma tomatoes wondering why I ever consumed them. Until recently, they were all that was available. I’d like to thank the Finley’s for reminding me how much there is to love about tomatoes.
When I return home from Saturday mornings at the Farmer’s Market, I feel full before I have cooked the food. It’s a rich life to intimately know the story of the delicious heirloom tomatoes I will grill with olive oil for dinner.
What is seasonal eating? Consuming fresh fruits and vegetables grown locally in the season that you eat them. Seasonal eating, also known as the slow food movement, is one of the fastest growing and most exciting returns in cooking lifestyles today. The reasons are simple: fresh food tastes better, has more nutritional value, and is financially and environmentally rewarding. (Yes, it saves money). It’s not hard to introduce seasonal cooking when you follow the seasonal menu advice or the food guide in the back of this book.
