We received the following e-mail yesterday from Welling Tom of Brookside Farm in Brentwood: Yesterday (Sunday, July 12) we sold our first tomatoes of the year at the Montclair farmers’ market. It was only a couple weeks ago when we were still watering them, so these tomatoes (Early Girls) were still larger and more water-plumped than ideal, but they were not bad, and people at the farmers’ market have been…
Anne Tom and Welling Tom of Brookside Farm in Brentwood stopped by this morning with a tomato update and some pictures of their San Marzano and Early Girl plants. Due to the recent cool weather, Welling estimates the tomatoes will be ready to go to market by mid-July…
The Toms, owners of Brookside Farm came in for dinner yesterday after the Montclair farmers market. Ann Tom had taken pictures of their farm that she wanted to share but she wasn’t sure how to email them. So she brought along her camera & we uploaded them here….
Welling Tom of Brookside Farm in Brentwood reports the following:
1. What Are You Planting?
Welling Tom: We have been planting some new fruit trees: sour cherries, Blenheim apricots, Elberta peaches, “donut” peaches, Fuyu persimons, and apriums….
The farm was originally a nut tree orchard. The Toms sold almonds and walnuts to local bakeries (for 25 cents a pound!) Gradually the orchard gave way to…
About a week before Tomato Dinners, when most of the tomatoes we will have to choose from are available for tasting, Chef Paul Canales and the cooks sit down with scores of varieties, mostly heirloom but some – like Early Girl-hybrids, and sort out which are the best, what their characteristics are, and how they might be prepared to best advantage. Amazingly, there is considerable variation even within varieties….