Earlier this month I discovered Early Girl tomatoes. I was shopping at Monterey Market in Berkeley, California when a huge box of the most amazingly vibrant tomatoes caught my eye. A worker was unloading them and I simply asked, "What are those?" Before he could even respond, the lady next to him said, "The most delicious tomatoes you'll ever eat. Just get a whole bag full." The worker went on to tell me that they were Early Girls, a dry-farmed tomato variety. He told me that the tomatoes are just watered a few times right when they are planted, and are then left to do their plant magic! The result is a smaller, yet more flavorful tomato. I was sold, did what the lady recommended, and brought a whole bag home.

The lady was right! They were the most delicious tomatoes I ever tasted and couldn't help but eat three whole, raw tomatoes when I got home. Like literally, I just ate them like you would an apple. After I took a moment to pause and gain some composure, I decided to make gazpacho! You might remember that we had a few 100° plus days earlier this month so I needed some thing cooling and refreshing. You can check out that recipe and the Gazpacho Goodness post here. It was simply divine and perfectly delicious.

The thing is, once you get a taste for Early Girls, you won't want anything else.

“The tomatoes whispered and reminded me that it’s OK to be vulnerable and that there is actually great authenticity and desirability in being delicate and fully seen.”

I have come to realize, over and over again, that as much as you look for something, something also finds you. Through a series of choices and a commitment to following your heart, you arrive at something that you have no choice but to accept: to learn more, work for, live with, or live for. It becomes a part of you and you become a part of it. You become a dedicated Spirit committed to the path, the direction, the life that has found you. Teaching yoga and meditation is that for me AND I'm starting to discover and get pulled by plants and the land as well. Vegetables, herbs, and aromatherapy keep walking into my life and I feel like I have no choice but to walk with them. I am particularly drawn to specific plants such as frankincense, calendula, eggplant, olives, and now dry-farmed tomatoes.

After I ate my first Early Girl, I had this urgent need to know where these perfect little tomatoes came from and after a bit of online researching, I found Live Earth Farm in Watsonville, CA. They are committed to growing exceptional food with care and respect for the land. They grow all the amazing things: apples, strawberries, kale, lettuce, carrots, peppers, beets, summer squash and what I now call the Queen, Early Girls, dry-farmed tomatoes.

Shelby, farmer, holder of the land, and spirited human being, greeted me with kindness and open arms. She showed me to the tomato fields and set me free! It felt like she was saying, "My farm is your farm," and the land was saying, "This is yours and you are mine." There was a harmony, a peace, and wildness to the time I spent wandering and being in the fields. The tomatoes whispered and reminded me that it's OK to be vulnerable and that there is actually great authenticity and desirability in being delicate and fully seen.

I know this is a start of a life-long relationship and I'm excited to learn more and experiment with different recipes. If you are near Watsonville, I highly, HIGHLY recommend a visit. They have lots of u-pick weekends and a few yearly events. Right now you can pick strawberries and tomatoes and soon you will be able to pick apples! And on Saturday, October 21st Earth Live Farm is hosting a Harvest Festival with apple cider pressing, pumpkin decorating, tractor rides, live music, and lots of goodies. Check it all out here.

Live Earth Farm

And now I'll leave you with a contemplation:

What does the land offer?

What do we offer to the land?

How do our actions affect the land?

How can we, human beings, be more mindful, respectful, and compassionate to the life and nourishment all around us?

Peace Out,

So it's 101 degrees as I write this in Berkeley, which is pretty INSANE. In the five years I've lived in the SF Bay Area, I have never felt sooooo hot. It reminds me of Florida, which I appreciate but in Florida you usually have a pool or refreshing ocean to jump into. It would be a trek to go to Ocean Beach and to be honest, it just isn't an appealing beach to me. Try and change my mind?

But anyways, it's HOT so when I was thinking of about what I wanted for lunch all I could think about was Gazpacho, a cold tomato soup. All the traditional style recipes use bread and they recommended using day old country bread which... come on... who has that?

So I kept looking and found this recipe posted in the NY Times of all places. I made sure I had all the main ingredients and just kinda went for it! If you read my Golden Beet Hummus recipe post, you'll remember that I'm new to cooking and am trying to cook intuitively so I'm not so attached to one certain recipe or one certain way of doing something.

The Gazpacho turned out light, refreshing, and tasty and I highly recommend it for an appetizer or lunch on a hot day. I ate it with a bunch of seeded crackers and felt perfectly satisfied, though you would need something more for a dinner meal. I plan on pairing it with a cold green lentil salad later tonight and will post that recipe later this weekend.

Until then.. eat well and be well, my friends!

Gazpacho Recipe

Remember, this is a guideline and it's purposefully vague. Practice your intuition, be playful, and do lots of taste tests!

Here's What You'll Need:

A Blender or Food Processor and I have this one. If you don't have a food processor and you can afford it, it's a life changer. I use it regularly to make hummus and all sorts of dressings, soups, and nut butters and bars. It's a must have.

Cuisinart DLC-2009CHBMY Prep 9 9-Cup Food Processor, Brushed Stainless

Cuisinart

Buy on Amazon

Ingredients:

Lots of tomatoes, a few cloves of garlic, sherry vinegar (or some vinegar), a bit of olive oil, paprika and salt for the soup.

Finely chopped onion, tomatoes, and cucumbers, basil, and hemp seeds for garnish.

All you need to do is put the tomatoes, two slices of onion, a few garlic cloves, a couple tablespoons of vinegar, a couple tablespoons of olive oil, paprika and salt in food processor until mixed.

Then, transfer soup to a bowl and chill in the refrigerator until nice and cold.

While you are doing that, mix the chopped onion (about a half a cup), cucumber (another half cup), and tomatoes in a bowl- add salt and pepper to taste.

Voila!

When you are ready to eat and serve, spoon the cold soup in a bowl and top with the garnish: onion, tomatoes, cucumber, basil and hemp seeds.