THE PRESERVATIONIST

THE PRESERVATIONIST ONE JAR OF PRESERVED TOMATOES

Spring’s most precious preserves and two recipes for enjoying them

BY JORDAN CHAMPAGNE

“She cans the songs of the whippoorwill And the morning dew and the evening moon ’N’ I really got to go see her pretty soon ’Cause these canned goods I buy at the store Ain’t got the summer in them anymore.”

From “Canned Goods” by folk artist Greg Brown, referring to his grandmother’s home-canned foods

Greg Brown pretty much sums it up.

Spring is the time of year when we most long for the fresh, vineripened local tomatoes of summer and autumn. But tomatoes that are found in the market now pale in comparison to the flavor of tomatoes at their peak, and most canned tomatoes in the store are not preserved from amazing heirloom and dry farmed tomatoes harvested at the height of the season. Instead, more often they are tomatoes that were picked rock hard and green and shipped in bulk in large tractor trailers to a production plant to be processed and put into cans. is is one of the beauties of preserving food at home. You can capture the most exquisite flavors that a fruit or vegetable has to offer, making the opportunity to open a jar of home-preserved tomatoes months later a chance to release a ray of summer sunshine. So it’s no wonder that in spring, just one jar of preserved tomatoes becomes a very coveted item in the cupboard.

My favorite way to preserve tomatoes is what I call crushed tomatoes. It is a simple preserve of just tomatoes, a pinch of sea salt and a dash of lemon juice. e preparation allows you to open a jar and use them in any dish you want. We find one pint of preserved tomatoes is a perfect serving size per person for most dishes.

We use canned crushed tomatoes in our kitchen at our café when tomatoes are out of season to make delicious soups, stews and bowls. ey are so full of flavor that you will have a taste of summer every time you use them!

RECIPES: See p. 54 for Champagne’s Best Tomato Soup Ever and Winter Salsa. Please see Summer 2013 edition of EMB or www.ediblemontereybay.com/recipes for her recipe for Preserved Crushed Heirloom Tomatoes.

Jordan Champagne is the co-owner and founder of Happy Girl Kitchen Co., which preserves more than 10,000 pounds of local, organic tomatoes during peak season from August to November.

BEST TOMATO SOUP EVER

Courtesy of Jordan Champagne, proprietor, Happy Girl Kitchen Café in Pacific Grove

1 pint preserved tomatoes 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs ½ teaspoon salt

Heat olive oil and toast herbs to enhance flavor. If tomatoes were preserved with skins on, slip them off, if desired. Add the entire jar of tomatoes as well as juice and sea salt. Blend with an immersion blender to desired consistency. Garnish with a dollop of crème fraîche and basil. e best tomato soup is that easy! Courtesy of Jordan Champagne, proprietor, Happy Girl Kitchen Café in Pacific Grove

1 pint preserved tomatoes ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped finely ¼ cup yellow onion, diced 1 jalapeño pepper 1 tablespoon roasted chipotle pepper (optional) 2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice 1 clove garlic, minced

Drain juice from preserved tomatoes and reserve juice to enjoy later as a beverage or in a dressing or sauce. If tomatoes were preserved with the skins on, slip them off, if desired. Chop tomatoes in a food processor on pulse until they are just puréed into chunks. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. e flavor of the preserved tomatoes really shines in this salsa and will warm up your meal. Enjoy within four days.