Tomatoes signal the beginning of the summer vegetable season for many, but come fall, there’s a second wave of tomatoes at local farmers markets. Lauren Carey, the manager of the Peachtree Road Farmers Market, especially points out the tomatoes from McMullan Family Farm. “From September to December, they have lovely tasty tomatoes,” she wrote. “Of course this all assumes Mother Nature cooperates fully.”
McMullan Family Farm in Hartwell is a 300-acre property established as a farm in 1865. In 2002, Michael McMullan, the fifth generation of the family to farm the land, put 5 acres into the Certified Naturally Grown program and focuses on growing those great-tasting tomatoes.
Farmer Rebecca Fielding is often at the farm’s booth at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. She says the great reviews from customers, particularly for their cherry tomato mix, let them know the farm is on the right track. That cherry tomato mix includes red, orange, yellow, purple and pink cherry tomatoes.
“We grow tomatoes both in the field and in the greenhouse,” Fielding said. “All of our tomatoes are grown in the soil whether inside or out, not hydroponically or in containers. Soil content, vine-ripening and variety all affect the flavor.”
When asked how many tomato plants the farm put in this year, she said they stopped counting when they reached several thousand. Those several thousand plants include cocktail tomatoes such as ‘Campari,’ heirloom tomatoes such as ‘Cherokee Purple’ and cherry tomatoes such as ‘Sungold.’
A ‘Cherokee Purple’ tomato from McMullan Family Farm will probably taste different from that of another farmer. Fielding has worked at four farms in northeast Georgia. “[How we grow] tomatoes and the flavor of the tomatoes has been different at each location,” she said, “even when growing the same varieties.”
There’s a science to growing so many tomatoes. “We practice succession planting and follow a strict crop rotation so that we have four years between tomato crops in the same location,” Fielding said. “Growing tomatoes can present many challenges. We know many farms that were affected by blight this season and suspect many home gardeners were, too. Blight, whether early or late, is devastating to a crop. Little can be done organically to control blight.”
The Peachtree Road Farmers Market continues until Dec. 15 this year. McMullan Family Farm offers shares in its winter community-supported agriculture program with pickups every Thursday at the Cathedral of St. Philip. Email mcmullanfamilyfarm@gmail.com for more information.
At local farmers markets
Cooking demos:
6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8. Chef Seth Freedman of Forage and Flame. East Atlanta Village Farmer’s Market, Atlanta. www.farmeav.com
9:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 10. Chef Kevin Gillespie. Morningside Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.morningsidemarket.com
10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 10. Chef Adam Waller of Bocado. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com
For sale
Vegetables, fruit and nuts: African squash, apples, arugula, Asian greens, beets, broccoli, broccoli raab, butternut squash, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, chestnuts, collards, cucumbers, dandelion, eggplant, endive, escarole, English peas, fennel, frisee, garlic, ginger, green beans, herbs, kale, komatsuna, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, pears, pea shoots, peanuts, peppers, persimmons, popping corn, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, sorrel, spinach, sweet potato greens, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turmeric, turnips and turnip greens, winter squash
From local reports
Flounder with Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette
Hands on: 15 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Serves: 2
5 plum tomatoes, cored and chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
2 (4-ounce) flounder fillets
1/3 cup champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes, shallots and 1/3 cup olive oil and arrange in one layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are slightly brown and the skins begin to shrivel. Stir if necessary to keep tomatoes from browning too much. Remove from the oven, reserving the oil in the pan, and cool slightly.
While tomatoes are cooking, on a piece of waxed paper, combine flour and salt and pepper to taste. Dredge both sides of fillets. Set aside.
In a medium skillet, heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil until very hot. Sauté one fillet 4 minutes or until brown, then carefully turn and brown the other side, about 2 minutes. Remove from skillet and keep warm. Repeat with remaining fillet.
While fish is cooking, combine roasted tomato mixture with oil from baking dish, vinegar and parsley. Season to taste.
Arrange fillets on serving dishes and top with roasted tomato vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
Adapted from a recipe by Sara Foster of Foster’s Market, Durham and Chapel Hill, N.C.
Per serving: 564 calories (percent of calories from fat, 67), 25 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 43 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 54 milligrams cholesterol, 108 milligrams sodium.
