A visit to charming La Torre Tolfe in Tuscany

August 4, 2024September 17, 2024gotofarms Leave a comment

*Mania with her dog Daisy at the end of her workday*

Atop the Tuscany hills, Mania Castelli has a host of enterprises to tend to: hotel, winery, olive oil production, tastings and sales, and a restaurant-plus barnyard animals near and dear to her veterinarian heart.

When I first met her early in the morning her during my stay at La Torre Tolfe, she was jogging and at the end of the long day working on farm projects, she was out to tend to a sick sheep. She’s involved in every aspect of this beautiful Tuscany estate located just 3 kilometers from Siena.

*The hotel includes a restaurant offering organic fresh vegetables and grains along with olive oil and wine*

Today using regenerative methods to replenish the soil, she and her husband Mark have built up a solid business in agritourism, boosting crops for excellent wine, olive oil and a wonderful restaurant using the fruits of their labor.

It started eight years ago when Mania, a practicing veterinarian, and her husband Mark, a marine biologist, moved from England to take over the family business. Her grandfather Luigi Castelli had made a fortune in the steel operations. He and his wife Lunella bought the place in 1953 as a holiday getaway. There was an ancient wine operation, dating back to the 1316, along with an olive grove and vineyard. Mania remembers the beauty of the landscape and the great times coming here as a child and making home movies of children’s stories with family members.

*Portrait of Lunella Castelli, Mania’s grandmother, who guided renovation on the house. They restored the 8th century watchtower and added spacious bathrooms*

When Mark and Mania surveyed the farm for its possibilities for relocation, they were disturbed by the damages of erosion, not the beautiful landscape that defines the property today. ”We didn’t find it very beautiful,” recalls Mania, who co-owns it today with her brother.

At the beginning, resolving to make the farm work, Mania threw herself into turning the 17-bedroom house into a hotel. The house had been housing workers in the sharecropping system predominant in Italy then. She asked the workers on the original staff to stay on to work in the restaurant and hotel. “ I told them, ‘Let’s share this with other people.’” She herself took on duties as a waitress and concierge, learning on the job. “It was very much, ‘Let’s try this.’”

They hired Giacomo Mastretta, an excellent winemaker who valued their approach to making organic wine.

They found a chef who valued their organic approach to develop some new takes on traditional
Tuscan dishes. In this multi-pronged effort, every piece, from the wine-making to the restaurant, all worked together.

*Wine dating from the 1970s is still in the cellar–musty but drinkable. On a tour we went through Etruscan tunnels that go back thousands of years. The tower was built to guard Siena from invasion.*

“Then the restaurant became very important,” she continues. “It’s a place to showcase the wine. Wine is a very sexy product and can bring people in.”

For Mania and Mark, the turnaround to organic farm producing olives and grapes and tourist haven has come with a lot of sweat and toil and experimentation. Using regenerative methods is a key part of their philosophy.

As to what precisely that means, Mania gives a long answer. “It has to translate into something financially viable and that is carbon. It means a whole bundle of practices added together that reduce the cost and damage done to the earth by farming.

Given the current drought in Italy, Mania expresses urgency about the need to adopt more regenerative methods of farming due to the specter of climate change, which is wreaking havoc on Italian farms with increasing heat and lessening precipitation. They work with other farmers in a group, backed by the government of Italy, to encourage the adoption of more regenerative farming methods. Taking a scientific approach, they are measuring everything from output to number of insects.

Last year there was rain every afternoon for three months. That has led to a loss of 30 percent every four years, according to Mark.

Now there is the drought which has hit southern Italy worst. This year, 2024, is the worst year for rainfall in more than 20 years. In Sicily and Puglia, drought threatens tourism. Each tourist uses 4 times the amount of the average resident.

On the day I met her, Mania was strategizing with her colleague, Austrian native Sascha Osterle, to develop more regenerative methods that would increase biodiversity on the farm. Among their ideas: grow sunflowers and use the oil to fuel the farm machinery: reduce the use of copper, commonly used to treat grapes during drought; turn arable land presently filled with wildflowers into pasture for grazing animals that would provide fertilizer for the soil.

Soon Mania will split the property with her brother, who shares her convictions about regenerative farming and the need to diversify.

Already they have adopted some changes in their effort to be more environmentally conscious. Mania points to a new method for pruning olive trees, changed from clipping branches all over the tree to leaving just one branch in the middle of the tree in order to conserve and direct growth.

*Olive trees are pruned so one main branch is directing growth*

She is as excited about promoting the olive oil from La Torre Alle Tolfe as much as about the wine. She conducts olive oil tastings similar to wine tastings. From a tray of 20 different bottles of olive oil, Mania selects one to try. She smells it, observes the bottle, then takes a sip. They grow five varieties of olives—out of 200 in Italy– on the farm. Each one tastes different. To inform consumers, they have created a booklet on frequently asked questions about olive oil.

The approach to the 13-hectare vineyard is similar: minimal intervention and no water to grow the grapes and allow their true identity to come through. “We wyere interested in bringing in more sustainability. We started to use less sulfites. The wine is more alive!”

Located in the Chianti Colli Senesi district, their certified Chianti is made according to the strict rules governing Chianti, composed of 80 percent Sangiovese grapes, aged in concrete lined with glass. Besides two Chianti, they make a refreshing Rose and two others using different combinations of grapes.

*Jackie and Emma Tasting Ros/e at the wine shop. They gave it good reviews*.

The delicious wine is not too expensive; chianti costs 15.5 euros at the shop; the more full complex Chianti Reserve goes for 25 euros. The Chianti Coli Sense was praised as “rich and fruity, all held together with dusty tannins,” in a great review from the NY Times.

At the wine-tasting earlier in the shop, the rose was so refreshing but I really liked the full-bodied Chianti. I had never really had decent chianti until this glass– dark red, tasting slightly of the earth and sandy soil, which is rich in fossilsThis was earthy and smooth and All-natural. Cheers!

*Chianti which must be grown in the Chianti region*

Walking to the Wild Rabbit from Daylesford

Daylesford: organic to the max

March 21, 2024October 30, 2024gotofarms Leave a comment

Lady Carole Bamford has created an organic empire from Daylesford, her farm in the Cotswolds. I’d heard about it from my cousin Paula, who grew even more enthusiastic about going organic for her farm (next to ours in Virginia), after a visit to Daylesford. So eager for some inspiration, I headed to Daylesford on the second day of my trip to the Cotswolds.

I love how Lady Bamford, wife of multibillionaire Anthony Bamford, founder of the construction firm JCB, has embraced farming as the route to a healthy, prosperous life. The socialite travels the world by helicopter and jet. She’s officially a baronness, honored by the queen for her charity work–and yet she wants to be known as a farmer, according to published reports. She turned her family farm into a thriving organic enterprise 40 years ago. Now at age 76, she operates three popular upscale cafes in London; two well-reviewed pub-restaurants; a wellness spa; winery in southern France; distillery; clothing line; home goods; charities in India–and don’t forget the actual farm.

All organic and self-sustaining.

*If it’s not directly from her organic farm, Daylesford sources from certified organic farms. These tomatoes, (at about $15 for 2 pounds), come from Spain.*

The real center of her enterprise is here at Daylesford which started as an organic farm shop in 2002. Forget the old images of battered, shrunken organic fruit; everything sold at Daylesford is organic, pricey, and chic, as beautifully produced as a perfect pear.

First impression: sleek and expensive

I am fascinated by her enterprise and how she has so successfully capitalized on organic farming.

My first impression is not of a farm, but a sleek glass and wood structure, lined out front with topiaries and a big parking lot full of cars from the city.

Behind the topiaries, perfect organic fruits and vegetables are displayed in bins, as in the traditional farmers market. But that’s where the homespun comparison stops and yields to Bamford’s style and business sense that’s like an English Martha Stewart.

In the Home Goods department, an elegant lady was hanging felt Easter eggs on branches artfully arranged above the $200 tablecloths . “All from the property here,” she offered., referring to the branches. The English decorate these Easter trees with eggs, she added. The eggs are hand embroidered with carrots and bunnies, sustainably, in Nepal.

In Housewares, where they sell luscious smelling products like rosemary loo (toilet) cleaner, I met a couple from London. The woman was clutching purchases that included a bag full of organic, disposable aluminum foil, eco-rubber gloves and a tin of biscuits for her mother. Despite the high prices, she is happy to shop organic because it is pesticide free and not contributing to climate change, she says. “But I have to ask, why is it good food only for the people who have the money?”

*A dust tray and brush for about $40 (32 pounds). High quality and high expense is the rule at Daylesford*

Her partner was a bit more skeptical. “I just came to see what all the fuss is about.” He paused. “Totally aspirational. . .What is this all about? I don’t know. They have a car park full of cars.”

I’ve noted the English are much more conscious of climate change than Americans.

*Daylesford avoids packages in favor of filling recyclable or reusable containers with everything from Quinoa to herbs.*

Tour of cheese, wine, everything organic

I had hoped to get a tour of the farm, but it is off limits to visitors. I also would have loved to meet “Lady B” as she is called by staff; she often comes to check on things, the manager, Risvon Fernandes, said, in front of the three restaurants featuring Daylesford produce. Fernandes tried to put it all in perspective for me: “This is a dream of Lad Bamford. She puts her stamp on everything,and it is all organic.”

We ambled through the beautifully displayed housewares to a nook with 14 different kinds of cheese made at Daylesford; the smell of moldering cheese almost knocked me out. That was next to a cubicle featuring organic wine made by hand at the Chateau Leoube, famed for its organic Rose. The winery was transformed into organic by the Bamfords.

Then there was the cookery school with multiple state of the art stoves and gear. The wellness spa is across the way. I checked out the airy stone and wood boutique which displays Bamford’s simple classic styles. She imports some fabric from Jaipur, a town in India where she has organized and supported Indian crafts such as indigo dying. The linen comes from various farms in England. I liked the plain white sweater but at $540, I opted to go on a walk to indulge in the good, local food at the local pub, the Wild Rabbit (also owned by Bamford).

The high-end products contrast with the dirty work of farming. Yet her philosophy about organic farming runs deep, from the roots of her surrounding 1500-acre estate to the sheets on the beds of her luxurious cottages that she rents out to tourists in search of the green countryside. Everything, her website states, is “designed to be mindful of its footprint and create an ethical, environmental and sustainable way, inspiring others to live consciously and well.”

Opposition to pesticides

According to an interview in the London Financial Times, which paid tribute to her business acumen, Bamford became an advocate for organic foods when she was a young mother outside with her baby. She noted the wilting roses in the garden. The wilted condition was traced to pesticides sprayed by nearby farms. “Better to pay the real price for food than later on in the doctor’s office,” noted Bamford, in response to the criticism of the high price of her products.

As self-sustaining as it claims to be, I found it hard to get public transportation out there from Broadway and had to hire a driver. Then I could not find a way to get to The Wild Rabbit, the Michelin recommended pub in nearby Kingham.

A Walk to the Wild Rabbit pub

With map in hand, I headed across the parking lot, down the road to a path, that was as pristine as the Cotswold Way, through beautifully kept fields. Every field in this area appears groomed by landscapers, groomed naturally, by the sheep and cows.

The kissing gate, which allows walke_{rs in wit}hout letting out the sheep

On the 3-mile walk, I caught glimpses of the farm operations, neat and without any evidence of pesticides but I can’t really tell. The terrain was really muddy and flat, great for splashing through puddles at a relaxed pace, all by myself. Breathing in the beauty of the landscape.

At the Wild Rabbit, with carved wooden rabbits placed as accents to the rustic decor, I ate lunch–a delicious bright green leek, potato soup, dense with the earthy leek flavor, and whole grain sour dough bread, cheese and butter, (made on the farm) accompanied by a half pint of Cheltenham gold beer.

The host told me they are working to get 3-stars for their ambitious menu. I missed a chance to try the tasting menu, set for later, Wednesday through Saturday, where they showcase delectable creations reflecting the day’s produce. He described a rabbit dish, with rabbit bacon, wrapped around lobster. Also intriguing is a salad of nasturtium root and parsnip crisps or braised pigs head, swede, mead and sage. You can also rent a cottage or rooms with rustic chic and luxurious amenities around the corner from the pub.

I’m content with the soup, and the cozy atmosphere of the pub, with its airy, light feel and leather chairs set in front of a fire. I chatted with a well-heeled guest who came in to the pub to meet a friend. Lady B has bought more properties near The Fox, a former 18th century inn also owned by Bamford, in a neighboring village, she said.

“I wonder if she will keep the post office,” she mused.

Are the townspeople upset she is buying up everything? I asked.

Not really, because like many small villages struggling to survive in the depressed English economy, the town was in need of a boost, she said.

Reflections

Lady B has the exquisite taste and the deep pockets that keep the enterprises going–fueled by a growing appetite for healthy food and land, amid concern for climate change. Her farm is one of the most successful organic farms in England, according to the Financial Times. I admire how she has built this market, glamorizing farming and the move to organic in a way that brings more profits for local farmers and better pesticide-free food for anyone willing to pay. She proves how successful organic can be.

Could such a model work in the States using farms as hubs for markets?

Featured

Cole Brothers: from fish to blackberries

August 14, 2023August 16, 2023gotofarms Leave a comment

They have raised bumper crops of blackberries, but this year might be their last

The Cole boys had been out at sea, living and fishing for a living on their boats, when they decided to cast their fate back home in the red clay of Halifax County in a blackberry patch–a huge, cultivated blackberry patch with berries the size of golf balls. Their father was getting ready to retire from his apple orchard business. “He told us he heard from the grocery stores that blackberries could bring a pretty high dollar,” say Jeff Cole, taking a brief break from bringing berries in from the fields, established now for over 30 years.

*Jeff and Joey Cole with Bailey, taking a brief break in the middle of blackberry harvest*

“We could see the fishing industry was getting crowded. Instead of buying boats, we took the proceeds and invested it in berries. We had lived on the boats. We didn’t have homes. . . And now we were home,” Jeff explains.

They began in 1986 with an acre of blackberries and an acre of raspberries in the farming community of Vernon Hill. Demand for fresh local produce was growing. They struck deals with grocery giants, Richfood and Ukrops, bringing in the berries as they ripened. Local. Local. was their calling card. Dealing with some other chain grocery stores posed some problems because they could not always predict when the berries would ripen. “They want to know way in advance, and we couldn’t always make that call,” says Jeff.

The fresh berries sold themselves: Three times as big as the little wild ones, and twice as sweet, without the occasional hard bits. Pretty soon the Cole brothers one acre grew to 15 acres, mostly blackberries.

From our house in Halifax, we would drive up three miles to their farm, a simple white building where they kept produce refrigerated until they could deliver it to a market, at a cool 31 to 34 degrees. My mother made blackberry dumplings, which remains my favorite dessert. Bunched and baked in a packet of dough, the juices would bubble out in sweet little rivulets running in the cracks and cervices of the pastry (See my mother’s recipe at the bottom.) Or you could just mush them up in cream, which turned the most beautiful deep blue purple. Or you could eat them fresh from the basket.

Pretty soon, as the word spread of these luscious giant berries, the Cole brothers were growing trillions of blackberries on 15 acres and selling them to grocery stores and farmers markets directly and through a middleman.

As the Cole brothers moved from fish to berries, they confronted a plethora of issues. They fought all varieties of insects, recruited pickers in a region that is losing population, and coped with devastating weather. In 2016, the temperature in April dropped to 25-26 degrees. They lost the whole crop, $300,000 without insurance to cushion the blow. And now they are thinking they are ready to retire.

The brothers pride themselves on their service, carrying the berries to market on the same day that they are picked and keeping them at a cool 32 degrees. They are transported from the field to the refrigerated house where workers sort and put them in plastic containers until Joey moves them. Some go to a Richmond marketer who delivers them to five different farmers markets in Virginia. Most end up in Jessup or Northern Virginia.

“We are trying to provide our customers with a service. Say they order 750 count. We can get the order through that day. That’s a service. That California can’t do,” explains Joey. Competing with Mexico prices adds to the competition. “When they aren’t there, the market is red hot.”

The pests are a worry at every stage. Going without any pesticide at all would result in massive rotting or failure, Jeff says. The fruit fly, for example, hatches in the berry. Gray mold infects the blossom, June bugs and Japanese beetles add to the enemy list, not to mention gray rust and leaf rust.

They use a modified shift trellis system for support that keeps the berries off the ground and allows them to ripen layer by layer for more precise picking and avoid pests that devour the ripe berries.

*The berries ripen in stages on the trellis system.*

The brothers have figured out pest control but seasonal labor is more unpredictable. They have some faithful skilled pickers like Vanessa Venable, who has worked at the Cole Brothers for 32 years. But half the labor pool they relied on has died and the younger generation which relied on farming has moved away. The brothers would like to use migrant labor, but they do not have housing.

The crew of pickers today will work from 6:30-11:30 a.m. They will receive from $12 an hour or $5 a flat. Once a girl picked 54 flats in one day, which netted her over $200 for a morning’s work. The average is 30 trays or $150. Vanessa gently tugs the berry which drops into her palm and then into a flat. Without a nod to the heat, she glides from bush to bush, selecting the black berries and leaving the red to ripen.

*Vanessa has the knack of berry picking*

“You’ve got to go fast without damaging the fruit,” explains Jeff.

It has become more difficult to deliver the freshest and best quality to the markets. Joey will return from an overnight run to Richmond for farmers markets, while Jeff tends to the fields. Up since 4 a.m., he has rounded up about 20 pickers who will pull the berries in the morning. About 80 percent show up. The unpredictability of the workers, coupled with the decrease in laborers, makes for stress.

“We’re too small to be big and too big to be small,” says Joey.

They have scaled back from 15 acres down to four and say this is their last harvest. They are ready to sell the farm.

The price of berries fails to keep up with the increases in inflation. “We can’t continue to do at the highest level.We’re burning the candle at both ends,” explains Jeff. “I tell you, the world is pushing the small guy out.

“I’m grateful for what’s taken place,” he says. It’s a good life being self-employed, We’d like a few more dollars per flat. . . But our season’s over.”

*Bailey greets drive-up customers who make up a small fraction of the business*

RECIPE for Blackberry Dumplings (makes 6)

From my mother Vin Edmunds (Lavinia)

For the pastry:

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter or lard (1 stick)

4 TB water

1 TB sugar

1/2 cup blackberries per dumpling

(Shortcut–use Pepperidge Farms puff pastry for the dough)

Mix flour, sugar, salt, butter, then add water gradually. Make pastry. Gather dough into one ball. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. Divide into about six sections. In the middle of each section, add 1/2 to 3/4 cup berries, 1/2 pat butter, 3/4 TB sugar. Gather the dough at the top and twist together at the top. Place in greased cookie sheet or pan. Bake at 450 for ten minutes. Reduce heat and bake another 30 minutes until brown. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

R-VA Tomatoes, all shapes and colors, reign in peak harvest in Hanover County, Virginia

July 12, 2023July 14, 2023gotofarms Leave a comment

How I became a tomato lover after decades of detesting the fruit

Hanover County, Va. — I have never liked tomatoes.

This is not a wise statement to say here in Hanover County, Virginia, when I was visiting the home of Master Tomato Growers David Hunsaker and Barbara Hollingsworth in the middle of peak harvest.

*Barbara Hollingsworth and David Hunsaker display the day’s tomato crop on the pool table (right) and in flats (left).*

I just don’t like the texture or acidity, I tell them.

“Maybe you didn’t have any good ones,” suggests David, as he offers me a Sun Gold cherry, the size of a golf ball. Tomatoes, in a mosaic of brilliant greens, reds, dark purples and yellow in all different shapes, just picked this morning, are spread out for sorting on a pool table in the couple’s basement.

Barbara sorts the cherry tomatoes for restaurant customers, ensuring each pint is full *of prime specimens. Blemishes are the mark of heirlooms*

I popped the tomato in my mouth—tarter than a plum, as juicy as an orange, and sweet as honey, unlike any tomato I have ever seen or tasted.

Today under the name Village Garden RVA, they grow over 325 varieties, as well as 100 types of chiles, using sustainable and organic practices. “We like to experiment. We look for old and obscure tomatoes,” David says. The heirlooms range from the hefty 3-pound Goatbag, in the shape of a goat’s udder, to the petite Sun Gold cherry. There’s the misshapen, dark purple Ukrainian, and the bright red Reisentraube, the hiking tomato that you can break easily into sections without dripping juice. The Oxheart, a seedless dense kind with 20 different variations, is their favorite.

“Diversity is the key, I mean it in every sense. We are a very accepting couple of people. We want to reinforce the diversity of nature. We want people to appreciate all the shapes and colors and tastes of these amazing fruit.”

David Hunsaker, Tomato Farmer

Tomato Paradise

Dating back to the 1800s, Hanover County, Virginia, has been known for its luscious tomatoes. In their one-acre plot, David and Barbara have created “a tomato paradise,” in the words of Food and Wine magazine. They’ve built up a following among Virginia chefs and foodies who love the complex, varied flavors which they can’t get in the typical supermarket. Heirlooms do not travel well in crates. They get smushed and mishandled, says David. Refrigeration, used to extend shelf life, robs the tomatoes of flavor and texture.

What makes the Hanover tomatoes so delicious?

“It’s the soil,” says David. A loamy mix with a touch of clay exists in Hanover County only on the east side of 95, along the Eastern Seaboard Fall Line that intersects with the Coastline. Their garden is situated on a slope, protected by a forest from frost. The climate is perfect, with cold nights and hot days and just the right amount of rain as opposed to more precipitation in the mountainous regions around Charlottesville.

*David heads down the slope with tomatoes, at that point in the land where the Eastern Coastline and Piedmont intersect*. *Their tomatoes flourish in the unique soil mix of Hanover County.*

When David retired from a career as a health care executive in 2004, he bought the ten acres of forested land next door to a horse farm, adjoining a suburban development in Mechanicsville–located a few miles west of Interstate 95 between Richmond and Washington. Growing up in a poor coal-mining community in southwest Virginia, he wanted to grow the heirloom tomatoes that sustained his family during hard times. He cleared a few acres and built a greenhouse for a small vegetable garden. When he met Barbara, who shared his love of farming, they began growing and selling 50 different varieties at local farmers’ markets in 2011.

Tomato heirloom boom

“After the market, we had all these tomatoes,” Barbara recalls. “We started going to restaurants in Richmond, taking them in the truck.” Most chefs were just starting to work in the afternoon. “They would come out to the truck and would say, what are you doing? Where did these come from?” They were sold. At one time, they made kimchi and bottled herbal blends to sell, but the tomato has taken priority. It has all morphed into a business and lifestyle as rewarding as it is delicious.

They select seeds from specialty catalogues and plant over 4,000 seedlings in tiny containers in February. The couple works every stage to the end of the harvest in August. “We’re it. We grow from seed. It’s very hard work,” David says. He adds, it is not a lucrative business, grossing no more than $30.000 a year; they are lucky to have savings.

“We are in love and love what we do,” David adds.

On my tour of the tomato garden, David and Barbara pick specimens in the first blush of ripeness to take to their customers in the afternoon. Beside the tomatoes, chili plants are flourishing in a geodesic dome, and a big banana tree shades a corner of the garden. While heirloom varieties are more subject to blight and disease, no bugs, rotting tomatoes, or significant weeds intrude on the neat rows.

*David and Barbara gather tomatoes that show a faint blush of color to ripen perfectly in the next few days*

Barbara hands me sweet tomatoes from the vines to try—a lovely peach tomato and a unique coin-sized fruit, covered in a gauzy husk—Aunt Molly’s ground cherry. I savor the sweet, tropical flavors of this tomatillo.

No wonder the top chefs and foodies are going wild over the rich, diverse tastes of heritage tomatoes. The demand has increased so much that they no longer make the rounds of farmers’ markets. Only Yellow Umbrella Provisions in Richmond carries RV tomatoes.

RVA tomatoes find a place in high end restaurants

During Covid, Jason Tesauro, sommelier at Barboursville winery, David and Barbara, hatched the idea of Supper/Summer Somm, a series of dinners developed by top chefs in Virginia and DC to showcase their heirlooms. (Find out where and when here) In addition, David and Barbara opened their home to a limited number of diners July 16 for a Tomato Jubilee with music, tours of the tomato garden, forest walks, free favors, courtesy of their sponsor Duke’s mayo and more.

The restaurants promote the name R-V tomatoes, or RVA, on their menus with the same zeal they reserve for Napa Valley wines. For last year’s Tomato Jubilee Extravaganza, L’auberge Chez Francois, rated the top French restaurant in the Washington, D.C. area, featured fresh heirloom R-V gazpacho and R-V tomato and herb-crusted local sauteed rockfish on its 7-course menu. In Barboursville Friday August 4, Executive Chef Michael Clough is preparing R-V tomatoes in focaccia, risotto and a local peach tart with tomato gelato, among other items, to be paired with Barboursville wines for $155 per person.

*RV tomatoes on the menu for last year’s Extravaganza at L’Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls, Virginia, just outside Washington*. *This year’s is August 6.*

The ultimate tomato sandwich

Back in the living room, laying down a flat full of fresh tomatoes, David asks if I would like a tomato sandwich, something I have avoided all my life. With the introduction of these unique tastes, I decide to try it.

He slices three small fresh yellow gems and lathers two pieces of white bread with Duke’s mayonnaise. “Only the cheap white bread and Duke’s mayonnaise, with a little salt and pepper,” says David. I take one bite and devour it in six luscious bites. I’m a total convert now.

*The ultimate tomato sandwich that converted me to heirloom tomato lover*

Is this on the menu of the high-end restaurants?

No, says David, but all the chefs love tomato sandwiches , made exactly this way. With a fresh R-V tomato, it’s a gourmet lunch.

######

What are R-V growing secrets for the best-ever tomatoes? Here are David’s answers to questions:

He begins, “The big issue is plant as deep as possible to give you a better root structure.”

How do you fight blight?

You can’t avoid blight. But you can reduce the chances with sterilized compost, of 3-4 inches, refreshed each year so you don’t have pathogens from last year.

Carefully pinch leaves off from the bottom of the plant.

Avoid over-watering. Water from the ground up, without splashing any water on the leaves or fruit. Keep tomatoes off the ground.

How do you avoid chemicals?

We use fresh compost and a mushroom mix that we order.

Spray with soapy water to kill aphids. Castile soap, unscented, mixed with water. In the greenhouse, nwem oil and pyretheum, can wipe out other tough pests.

Do you use stakes or string to support towering plants?

Both. Set stakes 8 feet apart. We create an ellipse, twisting the twine (sisal) from stake to stake. It’s called the Florida weave.

How do you avoid refrigeration?

Eat.