oh man, this is my favorite thing about summer... the tomato. not just any tomato...
A Celebration of Seafood and Tomatoes
Festivals to highlight local cuisine: June 8-10
New Orleans doesn’t need an excuse to throw a party. Its wide variety of cultures, unique foods and storied history naturally lend themselves to celebration, and only New Orleans knows how to celebrate these attributes in grand, colorful, fun style.
All of these elements come together once again during the weekend of June 8-10 at the 21st Annual Creole Tomato Festival (also known as the French Market Tomato Festival) and the first annual New Orleans Seafood Festival. Unique to the rich alluvial soil of southern Louisiana, the Creole tomato is prized for its flavor, which adds so much to so many recipes it would take volumes to document it all. As for seafood, south Louisiana harvests more of it than any other state in the nation. And what better place to celebrate these culinary delights than in the nation’s oldest city marketplace, the French Market, which dates back to 1791.
The gala, one-day Tomato Festival on June 9 will feature live music and dancing, displays of various Creole tomato dishes (with tasty samplings!), cooking demonstrations, recipes and, of course – in typical New Orleans style – a parade. This year’s Tomato Queen, her court and other merry revelers will gallivant through the French Quarter on foot and on mule-drawn carriages and open the festival in the morning. Freshly picked Creole tomatoes and other tasty, homegrown produce items will be on sale the entire day.
an old blog...
A Celebration of Seafood and Tomatoes
Festivals to highlight local cuisine: June 8-10
New Orleans doesn’t need an excuse to throw a party. Its wide variety of cultures, unique foods and storied history naturally lend themselves to celebration, and only New Orleans knows how to celebrate these attributes in grand, colorful, fun style.
All of these elements come together once again during the weekend of June 8-10 at the 21st Annual Creole Tomato Festival (also known as the French Market Tomato Festival) and the first annual New Orleans Seafood Festival. Unique to the rich alluvial soil of southern Louisiana, the Creole tomato is prized for its flavor, which adds so much to so many recipes it would take volumes to document it all. As for seafood, south Louisiana harvests more of it than any other state in the nation. And what better place to celebrate these culinary delights than in the nation’s oldest city marketplace, the French Market, which dates back to 1791.
The gala, one-day Tomato Festival on June 9 will feature live music and dancing, displays of various Creole tomato dishes (with tasty samplings!), cooking demonstrations, recipes and, of course – in typical New Orleans style – a parade. This year’s Tomato Queen, her court and other merry revelers will gallivant through the French Quarter on foot and on mule-drawn carriages and open the festival in the morning. Freshly picked Creole tomatoes and other tasty, homegrown produce items will be on sale the entire day.
an old blog...
It's Creole Tomato Time!
Posted May 11th 2006 1:48PM by Heidi Post
Family lore states that my grandfather cried twice a year -- once when creole tomato season began, and once when it ended. Maybe it's genetic, but I feel the same way. I just got my first box of Becnel's creole tomatoes at Dorignac's this weekend. Becnel's are always the best; maybe it's got something to do with that Belle Chasse soil they're grown in. Or maybe the Becnel family just has the magic touch.
There's something about a creole that just doesn't compare to other tomatoes. I've eaten fresh roma tomatoes in Italy, and even they couldn't hold a candle to creoles. The texture is different from other varieties -- grainer, but in a good way, meatier, and more tender. They aren't necessarily even very attractive. The tops usually split, they tend to grow in strange shapes, and the color will often be mottled with green (which I suppose doesn't sound all that unusual for something born and raised in these parts).
I didn't know if Katrina would affect the crops for this year, but my tastebuds will testify that they are as delicious and mouthwatering as ever. I've been eating them alone for at least one, if not two meals a day since Sunday. And I've got a spare box of tissues waiting in the wings come season's end.
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