Bay Meadows

You’ve seen them at Whole Foods and our San Mateo Farmers’ Markets, but what defines a tomato as an heirloom?  An Heirloom Tomato is generally considered to be a variety that has been passed down, through several generations of a family because of its valued characteristics. You’ll find a wide range of flavors in the Heirloom-Tomato world. But many heirlooms are prized for having an old-time taste and provide far superior flavor than their average run of the mill counterpart. With the opening of Persimmon Park, it’s the ideal time to learn about the easy ways to use Heirloom Tomatoes, so you can get growing. Here are a few delicious ideas:

Frittata With Broccoli And Heirloom Tomatoes. This fragrant simple and delicious frittata recipe from Food52 will brighten your morning. It’s perfect for a healthy, hearty Sunday brunch as it offers substance without the floury crust.

Halibut with Persimmon Tomato and Dill Relish. The persimmon is a prolific rose-orange beefsteak, creamy, meaty, gorgeous tomato. It has a near perfect acid-to-sugar balance. {Plus, we love the name} If persimmon tomatoes aren’t available, substitute another orange tomato variety, such as valencia. This sweet-tart relish recipe from Cooking Light is as tasty with grilled chicken or pork as it is with fish.

Heirloom Tomato Tart. This delicious and easy recipe using puff pastry with pesto and layered with fresh mozzarella and sliced heirloom tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil is the perfect way to put your beautiful heirloom tomatoes to use this summer.

Grilled Bruschetta with Heirloom Tomatoes. The great thing about bruschetta is that it can be a snack, an appetizer or even a main course if you want something light and refreshing. This bread is great to serve up for dinner or lunch, just pair it with a nice kale salad and you have yourself an easy no fuss dinner.

There are many more simple ways to use these delicious tomatoes including a caprese salad that consists of slicing and stacking ingredients or a chunky salsa with your favorite mix-ins. If you’re interested in learning more about the heirloom tomatoes varieties, check out the BHG list of delicious varieties or these 10 tasty ideas from our neighbors at Whole Foods. Sunset Magazine even shares how to harvest Heirloom Tomato seedlings!

You can also join our monthly Edible Gardening classes hosted by Star Apple Edible + Fine Gardening where they offer tips and tricks to help us grow together as a community. Whether you have a bed here at the Persimmon Park Community Garden, or a home container garden, we welcome the San Mateo community to join us and meet your fellow gardening neighbors. This is a series of fun, educational events where you will gain insight on a whole host of edible garden topics as we progress through the year toward a bountiful harvest.

Strike a pose while digging on the garden! As we develop community, we want to see how you live or play at Bay Meadows. Share your fun lifestyle photos with our community by using #baymeadowslife in our Fame x Frame Photo Contest. You could WIN $50 or our Grand Prize of $500 at the end of 2014 and be featured in a live pop-up photo gallery exhibit. Click here for official rules. Each month, Bay Meadows will select one photo to WIN a $50 gift card at Whole Foods Market San Mateo. Simply hop on instagram or twitter at tag us using #baymeadowslife or submit up to 10 photos per month to photos@BayMeadows.com .

Be sure to follow Bay Meadows on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. We’ll be sharing your Bay Meadows story!