First the good news. Radical Roots Farm weathered the storm with only minimal damage - no flooding at all. Thank you all for your thoughts and concerns.

The bad news is that so many others were not so fortunate. We are overwhelmed with sadness and grief over the loss of lives, homes, farms, roads, bridges, connections. Our heart especially goes out to Evening Song in Cuttingsville and Right Mind in Wallingford who lost so very much.

But no matter the devastation - the power and love and strength of Vermonters comes shining through. People are coming together to help neighbors, friends, and strangers. We are heartened to see the National Guard helicopters airlifting food and water to isolated towns and FEMA entering communities with water, food and promises to help help help. CVPS has been amazing - as have the power companies who have come into our state to do what they can. Grassroots efforts such as Restoring Rutland demonstrate the power of the people to make good things happen fast. Local radio stations VPR, WJJR, and WSYB have been invaluable offering information and support - showing how vital local radio really is.

This is the way it's supposed to work!

Our hearts go out to everyone who is experiencing loss. We will get through this and come out the other end stronger.

Remember these wise words: Barn burned down - now I can see the moon.

The moon is definitely the power of our loving communities.

CANNING AND FREEZING - Tomatoes and Basil

We have available quantities of tomatoes and basil for sale - perfect for canning and freezing (yes you really can freeze tomatoes and basil - read below for the simple how to!) The tomatoes are NOT seconds - they are first quality and ready to go.

Tomatoes
normal price: $3.50/pound
5 pounds or more: $2.00/pound
25 pounds or more: $1.50/pound

Basil
normal price: $2.50/bunch
10 bunches or more: $1.00/bunch
25 bunches or more: $0.75/bunch

Send us an email if you are interested - as supplies are not endless. Let us know what you want and we will let you know when you can pick them up at the farm (Creek Road in Rutland - 1.8 miles south of the College of St Joseph).

radicalrootsfarm@gmail.com


FREEZING TOMATOES
While tomatoes can be frozen whole, sliced, chopped, juiced, or in paste or sauce, we love to freeze them whole - with the skins on - in freezer bags. Simply wash and dry (make sure they are dry) whole tomatoes and then place them in freezer bags. Try to remove as much of the air in the bag as possible - some people use a straw to suck out the air, but we don't find that is really necessary. Also, some people like to freeze them first on a baking sheet - and then place them in the bags. That's fine, but in our opinion, the extra step is not really necessary.

That's all it takes. We don't take off the stem or cut away the stem scar. You can - but, again, it is one more step that is not really necessary. Plus, we like to keep the tomatoes fully intact for freezing.

When you are ready to use the tomatoes, take the amount you need from the freezer bag, run them under warm water and slip off the skins. So simple. You can then use them in any recipe that involves cooking tomatoes.

FREEZING BASIL
Chop basil in a food processor (or by hand if desired) adding just enough olive oil to make it moist. Spoon processed basil into ice cube trays (or muffin tins), cover and freeze. After 1-2 days, pop out of the trays and put into zip lock freezer bags. Use all winter long!

MELONS

Harvesting lots and lots of Watermelon and Cantaloupe!

Delicious!
Sweet!
Juicy!

Need we say more?

Come to the farm stand to get some. They may be all gone by this Saturday's Farmers Market!

TOMATO SEASON

You know its really August when the tomatoes are in full color! This year we are so excited about our tomatoes - the variety we are growing and the quality of the harvest.

We are most excited about the Mountain Magic tomatoes we are picking every day. We chose this variety for many reasons - taste, texture, versatility - but especially size! You see, these tomatoes are only about 3 oz each - quite small for a salad/sandwich/slicing tomato! So why are we excited about such a small-sized tomato? If you are like us, you hate hate hate having to place the unused portion of a tomato in the refrigerator, where it gets mushy and tasteless (tomatoes should never ever be refrigerated!!). But what can you do - you only need half of the tomato for your salad or just a slice or two for your sandwich. Enter the beauty of the Mountain Magic tomato. Because it is small, you never have an unused portion to store! And the taste and texture - excellent!

Please check out these amazing tomatoes - we think you will be as excited as we are!

We are also quite excited about the variety of plum tomatoes we are growing this year. They are called Monica and they are large, round and firm paste tomatoes - perfect for salsa, sauces, stews, etc. They are also coming in fast and furious and so we are selling them in larger quantities for folks who are interested in canning or freezing for winter. DID YOU KNOW - you can freeze tomatoes whole? Simply place clean dry tomatoes (plum are best) in freezer bags and pop them in your freezer for use all winter long! When you are ready to use them, take them out of the bags, run under warm water to remove the skin, and use in your favorite recipe!

Heirloom tomatoes are amazing to look at and eat. They are not your conventionally beautiful tomato - they are often oddly shaped with cracks and blemishes. But the taste? AMAZING. Do not be fooled by appearances - heirlooms bring us back to the way tomatoes used to taste. This year we are growing Prudens Purple, an heirloom Brandywine that we think you will flip over just as we did! Contrary to its name - it is not actually purple - it's a pinkish tomato with green or yellow shoulders. Not the most beautiful to look at - but what a taste!

Sungolds and Red Cherries round out the tomatoes we are growing this year. Sweet, perfect for popping in your salad or in your mouth. A burst of flavor with every cherry tomato.

Please visit us at the Rutland Farmers Market every Tuesday from 9am - 2pm or at our Farm Stand on Creek Road in Rutland (1.8 miles south of the College of St Joseph). We would love to show you all of our wonderful tomatoes!