Fried Green Tomatoes

Well, not actually the middle of summer- worse than that, it’s the gosh darned end of summer.  Gosh darned, by the way, isn’t something that I actually say.  Here in the heart of the gorgeous, temperate, Russian River Wine Valley, my vines and vines of heirloom tomatoes are well, green.  Mostly anyway.  And, starting to shut down.  Those bushels of ripe red, yellow and green (you know the ones that are deliberately green) tomatoes that we gorge on daily until we can’t stand the sight of them anymore, just haven’t materialized this year.  So, what’s a girl to do?  Pick ‘em green and fry them, pickle them, turn them into relish…. or get her Michelin starred chefs to do it for her…. (are you guys reading this?).

One Big Fat Green Tomato

I’ve been trying out all kinds of recipes for green tomatoes.  And, funny, this is my first year ever to do that.  Usually we just sit back, stay patient, and sometime around mid-July, presto, tons and tons of juicy ripe tomatoes.  Why start with the green ones?  Well, turns out that you start with the green ones because they’re fabulous.   Really, I never knew. 

Here’s one that I’ve been making regularly it’s from Cooks Illustrated (my favorite resource of all time, thank you Christopher Kimball) – it’s amazing with a slow roasted pork shoulder- perferably one that’s totally biodynamically raised and finished by your neighbor on wild herbs…  But if you can’t get one of those, shoot for organic…

Green Tomato Chutney

Ingredients

Directions

• Bring tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, coriander, salt, and red pepper flakes to simmer in medium saucepan. Cook until thickened, about 40 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours or overnight. Stir in lemon juice just before serving.

These Fried Green Tomatoes have become an absolute favorite of ours this summer.  Don’t cut the tomatoes thicker than 1/4 inch, or the tomato to crunch ratio gets askew.  And, don’t use coarse corn meal or they’re just too crunchy and kind of bitey.  We’ve been eating these with grilled local halibut or, yes I’ll admit it, fried chicken- once you’ve got the skillet going…

Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 4 large green tomatoes
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Slice tomatoes 1/4 inch thick. Discard the ends.
2. Whisk eggs and milk together in a medium-size bowl. Scoop flour onto a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate. Dip tomatoes into flour to coat. Then dip the tomatoes into milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.
3. In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place tomatoes into the frying pan in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the tomatoes, they should not touch each other. When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels.

I’d love to hear about what you all are doing with your green tomatoes.  And, if you’re having a summer chock full of  ripe, juicy tomatoes, no need to tell us….We’ll talk next year.

Ok, so maybe not the biggest mouth in the entire Russian River Valley, but I sure do get myself into some interesting situations.  (Shut up Joe!)  In this case, I find myself in the position of the Chair of the “Food Procurement Committee” for the Russian River Valley Winegrowers annual Grape to Glass Event- specifically the Hog in the Fog Festival of Plenty.  How, you might ask, do I find myself in this oh-so-auspicious position?  Because I complained about the food last year (technically I complained about everything, depending on who you ask) and was told to put my “money where my mouth is”.  So ok, here I am.  And actually, it’s been a blast- well parts of it anyway. 

The Grape to Glass event is in its fifteenth year.  It’s really a unique event, showcasing not just our absolutely spectacular wineries and vineyards, but also our incredible farms, ranches and geography.  It’s a collaboration between all of our multi-generational farming and wine making  families, our local schools and farms and all of those who’ve more recently joined our community.  And it really is an incredible event.  So, you might be asking what I had to complain about?   I just think that sometimes an event needs some fresh eyes.  What’s worked for years can get a little tired and need some attention.  And, boy did this event get some fresh eyes this year!

This year's new Grape to Glass Logo

So, first thing after last year’s event, the Board of Directors decided to look for some fresh energy to get behind the whole event.  (No, I’m not on the board).  The super-creative team of Creative Furnace was brought on board to produce the Grape to Glass 2010.  They have a fantastic background, having worked with groups like Wine Brats to create really cutting edge, fun and sophisticated events. 

I won’t go into all of the details about what’s gone and what’s stayed, but I’ll tell you that I’m attending every bit of this weekend event this year.  Historically, the event has had a Friday night component.  It’s now an al fresco wine tasting and live outdoor concert by Nick Palance (If you haven’t heard of him, click the link and check him out- he’s being compared to Andrea Bocelli). 

Nick Palance, who will be preforming Friday evening

 Saturday’s events include a morning Kayak tour led by Guy Davis of Davis Family Winery and starting where the Russian River meets his vineyard, or a bike tour around the Russian River Valley, all leading to the famous Hog In the Fog BBQ.  The weekend ends with a fantastic vineyard brunch on Sunday. John and Duskie of Bovolo and Zazu Restaurant fame (can you say best salumi in the Russian River Valley- probably all of Sonoma and Napa Wine Countries) are now supplying the farm-fresh lunches those hungry athletes.  But, the Hog in the Fog event is what’s got me most interested.  Because now I”m behind the scenes. 

Chef/Owners Duskie Estes and John Stewart of Bovolo and Zazu

 The Hog in the Fog has always been about bringing guests in, from all over the US, to experience a real Russian River Valley Community BBQ.  It’s cooked and served by actual members of our community, who share their produce, time and family recipes.  Most of them are growers or winemakers and everyone brings out special bottles of their most prized wines to share.  Steve Dutton of Dutton Ranch and Dutton-Goldfield Winery is in charge of the NY Strip station- he provides the meat and his popular Dutton Family recipe.  Dutton Ranch also donates the organic Gravenstin apples for Pam Martinelli’s, of Martinelli Winery, famous Gravenstein apple pies (the Gravenstein is what the RRV is known for.  We’ve all grown them for generations and they’re just delicious).  Armand Azevedo, a prominent local grower, heads up the rest of the grill stations.   One change that we are making this year is a commitment to locally grown meat.  The pulled pork is coming from Gleason Ranch (theirs is a really great story of a family who is working to save the family farm and stay in agriculture), the grilled chicken is coming from Fulton Valley Farms and the beef is locally raised.  Another great change is that Mateo Granados (I could go on and on about him and his incredible farm-fresh Yucatan Cooking and secret restaurants…) is going to prepare all of the salads and side dishes for us.  He’s making a Yucatan-style bread salad and a bean and squash salad with a Meyer Lemon vinaigrette, which will be served family-style alongside a melon salad and some incredible sauces – Romesco and Roasted Tomato.  I’ve been in charge of sourcing the incredible list of produce that Mateo needs.  

Here’s the list of the organic produce we’re sourcing from our astounding neighbors:

200 pounds of heirloom tomatoes from Kelley Parsons

60 pounds of Romano Beans, 40 pounds of summer squash and 5 pounds of basil from Tierra Vegetables

20 pounds each of cucumbers, squash, carrots and beets from Summerfield Waldorf School and Farm (it’s my kids school and is probably the coolest school in the world.  Check it out)

10 pounds of red torpedo onions, cherry tomatoes, strawberries and herbs from Quivira Winery

50 pounds of eggplant and 20 pounds of beans from MIX Garden (Mick farms for Farmhouse, and some of this is coming off our ranch)

100 pounds of assorted melons from Love Farms

Artisan olive oil and pomegranate vinegar from The Dry Creek Olive Company

Doesn’t that just make you want to jump up and come out for the weekend?  Farmhouse is full (sorry).  But there are still tickets available for the event click here for a link to purchase tickets and find participating lodging.

Wine grapes are fabulous.  Heaven knows we love what they turn into.  Wine!  (Ok, that’s stating the obvious…)  But, one of the many things that makes our lovely Russian River Valley, and Sonoma County as a whole, unique, is our incredible diversity of agriculture and artisan produce.  We farm- and our farming really speaks to the old world traditions of using the land for a variety of different crops, livestock and native habitats.  More and more, we’re seeing the farmers and ranchers expand from one crop or one animal on the land to a variety of uses on one property.

On our ranch, where we’ve farmed for five generations, we have chickens for eggs and meat, antique apple trees, vegetable gardens, bee hives for honey and polination, prunes, plums, cherries, peaches and berries scattered about the property and lovely creeks with riparian habitats.   

Lettuces and Heirloom Shelling Beans

This kind of farming is wonderful, because it’s year-round.  We have produce, eggs and meat every month of the year.  But, I have to admit that this month and the next few months are just amazing and so incredibly bountiful! 

An heirloom squash and its delicious blossoms