Tomatoes of many hues are beginning to appear at the markets. The last two weeks VanHarts and Bosco Farms have had a large, though a bit under ripe, selection. Always ready to try a field-ripened tomato, I take home a pint basket with red, black, yellow, and striped varieties. The subsequent sandwiches with mayo, a sprinkle of Maldon salt and red-speckled lettuce I’ve grown myself, are tasty, juicy even. I know, though, the messier renditions a few weeks from now are the ones I really want.
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The beets of my childhood came in only one shade and one shape—an intensely winy-red, orb. Now golden, striped, round or oblong are the order of the day. I met my favourite beets so far this summer at the Sorauren market. The variety is the rodina, deep red and cylindrical. Those currently on offer are only about two inches long, perhaps three quarters of an inch around. Picked later, they will be up to six inches long. You can find these beets in an unmarked booth run by the Singhs from the Brampton-area. Their recently established farming operation has benefited from Farm Start.