Last week’s Bryn Clovis Farm CSA farm box pick up included the first tomatoes of the season. While I look forward to various types of truly fresh produce all summer, tomatoes are my favorite. There is nothing like a locally grown (that includes New Jersey in our world) tomato at the height of the summer.
Ed picked up last week’s box so he had the inside scoop on these unique tomatoes. Farmer and owner of Bryn Clovis Farm CSA, Ranney Moran, shared that they are Green Bee tomatoes. These tomatoes were bred by Dr. Fred Hempel of Artisan Seeds and have been popular on San Francisco menus for the last few years. About the size of a large cherry tomato, they remain green as they ripen and turn a bit orange around the top. What makes them unique is that they never soften like a traditional tomato but remain firm and kind of crunchy. Since they are firm they are also not overly juicy, but they are full of flavor. What do you do with this new variety of tomato? Grill them, cook them, make salsa or make gazpacho. I opted for gazpacho – I can’t get enough of this cold soup during a hot summer.
Since I hadn’t planned to make gazpacho, I used what I had on hand in my refrigerator and my minimalist garden. In addition to the Green Bee tomatoes, I added cucumbers, green peppers, jalapeño peppers, shallots, garlic, basil mint plus Champagne vinegar, fruity extra virgin olive oil and Kosher salt. That’s it – no other spices. I had consulted my traditional Gazpacho recipe for inspiration and noted that it included smoked paprika and celery salt, but this green version didn’t need any of these. Nor did these non-juicy tomatoes need any extra liquid beyond what I’d normally use in gazpacho.
I was pleasantly surprised when Ed said this was the best gazpacho I’d ever made. If you search on ‘gazpacho’ on Riegl Palate you’ll see I’ve made quite a few varieties.
Perhaps you don’t have access to a farmer who grows Green Bee tomatoes? Try another green tomato – likely of the heirloom variety – just make sure that they are ripe.
You can read more about Bryn Clovis Farm CSA in Malvern, Pennsylvania in a recent post, Sugar Snap Peas with Lemon and Thyme.
Photo Credit: Green Bee Tomatoes photo was taken by Ranney Moran.
| Green Bee Tomato Gazpacho | | Print |
- 2 pounds Green Bee tomatoes or other ripe green tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 half large cucumber or 3 mini-cucumbers, chopped into large pieces
- 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped into large pieces
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, if desired
- 2 large shallots, chopped into large pieces
- 4 medium garlic cloves
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- ⅓ cup packed fresh mint leaves
- ¼ cup Champagne or white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fruity extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste
- Combine cucumbers, green pepper, jalapeño pepper, shallots, garlic, basil, mint leaves, vinegar and olive oil in a blender, food processor or Vitamix, and purée until smooth.
- Add salt and taste. If needed, add a bit more vinegar and/or olive oil. Purée again until smooth.
- Transfer gazpacho to a large bowl. Cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving. Can be made 1 day in advance.
Sounds divine! And such a beautiful emerald color.
Spenser – Thank you! And a recipe that hopefully doesn’t need to be adapted!