Farm To Fork

Killer Tomatoes

SUMMER BRINGS OUT CITY’S FAVORITE FRUIT

Tomatoes are so in this season.

Summer has arrived and farmers markets are bursting with freshly picked produce. Blackberries and apricots drip with juice. Cucumbers and corn are dressed in bright greens and yellows. To top it all off are tomatoes: cherry, beefsteak, green zebras, even Mr. Stripey heirlooms.

Many local farmers are vendors at neighborhood farmers markets and sell their tomato varieties throughout the year. The popularity of tomatoes runs deep in local history. For decades over the past century, at least fi ve canneries operated in Sacramento.

Today the canneries are gone but tomatoes remain a favorite. Jamie Dettmer is a market manager for Certifi ed Farmers’ Markets of Sacramento County. She’s also an avid farmers market enthusiast and knows many vendors by name.

When asked who grows some of the best tomatoes, she rattles off an impressive list, describing the juicy and fl avorful fruit grown on area farms.

One vendor with exceptional tomatoes is Juan Toledo of Toledo Farms, a certifi ed organic grower in Lodi who works with his father Federico Toledo.

Toledo created his farm about 10 years ago on a modest 3 acres. A few years ago, the growing operation moved to its current plot in Lodi, with 30 acres of rich soil and plenty of space.

While the battle with grass and weeds never ends, the seasonal harvest is worth it.

Tomato varieties from Toledo Farms include heirloom, Brandywine and cherry. With help from the sun, soil and water, Toledo says his tomatoes grow quickly with sweet, juicy fruit. This summer, in addition to tomatoes, Toledo Farms is growing jalapeno, serrano and orange bell peppers, summer squash and watermelon. Whatever the season, there’s always something in rotation.

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By Tessa Marguerite Outland Farm-to-Fork

“It makes my job a lot easier when people say these tomatoes are a little bit sweeter or better tasting,” Toledo says. “Feels good.”

Toledo attributes his tasty tomatoes to work and diligence. “There’s no cutting corners,” he adds. “When I sell my stuff, I know there’s hard work behind it. It’s pure.”

Toledo says his favorite way to eat his tomatoes is simply sliced on a sandwich or chopped cherry tomatoes in a salad. His daughter loves ripe, juicy tomatoes straight from the vine. Toledo is proud of his farm and the full-fl avored produce he shares with the community.

“Anything that comes out of Toledo Farms is grown with blood, sweat, tears

Federico Toledo

and hard work,” the grower says. “I have a lot of satisfaction in that.”

Toledo Farms is a vendor at the Elk Grove Farmers Market on Saturdays and the Downtown Farmers Market, temporarily relocated to the Arden Fair Mall parking lot on Sundays.

Other vendors with ripe and ready-to-eat tomatoes can be spotted throughout the summer months at any farmers market in the area.

Tessa Marguerite Outland can be reached at tessa.m.outland@gmail.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n FROM page 26 homeless remedies that don’t work and lack accountability, such as Housing First.

L.A. authorities have appealed Carter’s order, but Steinberg is paying attention. “It’s a drastic order,” he says. “In Sacramento, we have the opportunity to accomplish the same goal contained within the judge’s order without the intervention of the court. We have an opportunity to do it better and differently.” That means disperse homeless people into temporary housing and shelters.

Before the pandemic, downtown L.A. boomed. More than $35 billion was invested since 1999. Skyscrapers, music halls and museums rose on Bunker Hill. Old factories and warehouses became expensive lofts. Downtown L.A.’s population reached 85,000.

The L.A. Live entertainment district and Staples Center were inspirations for DoCo and Golden 1 Center. But Carter’s intervention shows why Sacramento can’t afford to copy L.A.’s acceptance of tents in parks and street corners.

Two factors will determine how Downtown Sacramento recovers from the pandemic. First, government workers must return to offi ces. Second, tents and sidewalk sleepers must be dispersed. Many public employees won’t come back until September at the earliest. Without them, businesses will continue to struggle—a challenge made worse by people living on the street.

There are already signs of economic resurgence in Downtown. Michael Ault of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership says 27 businesses have opened since April 2020. They offset the loss of about 40 shops that closed.

The newcomers are diverse, from coffee shops to salons. Many are located in Old Sacramento, the city’s former Skid Row. What those new businesses need are lots of customers and zero tents.

R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n