Love Apple Farms and Tomato Eggs

It’s that time of year again when I feel the seasonal push to visit a farm. Not an urban farm, but a bigger, rural one. I love celebrating the fall this way – to take in the sight of the bursting orchards, the squiggly pumpkin patches, to pat a pig or goat on the brow… But you don’t have to go to the same old road side corn maze every year.

Love Apple Farm is quite different from those overflowing with pumpkins and apples. And lucky for us, it is open year-round for visits. I’ll save raving about the apples that are coming into season and focus instead on the fact that my garden is still popping out tomatoes left and right after a relatively tomato-less summer.

Despite the name, there are no apple trees at Love Apple Farms. The love apple is actually a nickname for the tomato. I talked with owner Cynthia Sandberg this morning and she said there are still 100 varieties of tomatoes producing on her grounds today. Among her favorites are the Orange Russian 117, the Green Giant, and a medium-size mahogany tomato with a slightly flat shape, aptly called the Love Apple.

Inspired by a trip to the now defunct Copia gardens and culinary museum in Napa, where she tasted the most delicious biodynamically-grown tomatoes, she wanted to create a place where tomatoes where elevated. And she has. Beginning in the spring and early summer there are tomato events of all kinds – an heirloom tomato festival, tomato growing classes, cooking classes, and more. You can even purchase seedlings for your own garden, although not in October.

Tucked in the Santa Cruz Mountains, this farm grows most of the vegetables for Michellin-starred Manresa Restaurant. The head chef, David Kinch, teaches “Day-Off Diners” with his foodie girlfriend Pim, of Chez Pim blogging fame. It’s not just about what’s on the table, but how it got there – classes in bee-keeping, DIY solar, and holistic nutrition are also on the menu.

As lucky as I was to be raised around biodynamic agriculture, there is still so much to learn. Such is the majesty of the natural environment, and it is hopeful to see such splendid places like Love Apple Farms sharing their wealth of information. With attention paid to crop rotation, healthy soil building, and more, gardens like these give back to the environment rather than depleting it.

You can experience the place at whatever level you like – to simply visit the gardens, to taste the produce at Manresa, to take a farm tour, to take a cooking class (there’s even an upcoming class about cooking with seaweed this November 6th), or to learn sustainable skills you can use where ever you call home. Cynthia recommends staying at Dream Inn or Scott’s Valley Hilton for out of town guests.

Inspired by the recent newsletter from Love Apple Farms (get on their mailing list here), I had to put my sweet October tomatoes to good use. I couldn’t even wait for lunch.

Tomato Eggs

Sauté 1/2 an onion or 1 shallot in a little olive oil in a shallow frying pan until just clear, about 3 minutes. Add a pinch of salt to let them sweat and sauté another minute. Add two large chopped tomatoes and a small can of whole tomatoes to the mix, with some good shakes of the pepper grinder. Add 1 tsp. sugar (and a pinch of red pepper flakes if you want a little heat). Cook on medium high, stirring intermittently until a rustic sauce forms.

With a wooden spoon make a hole in the tomato mix for an egg to land. I crack the eggs individually in a separate bowl to make sure they don’t have blood spots or shells before adding them to the pan. Repeat (you can do up to four eggs in the average-size frying pan). Turn the fire to low and cover briefly, then remove cover to finish cooking. Serve with buttered toast or just plain. Eat in the garden if at all possible. You can also drizzle with a good balsamic vinegar.

PS. Check out these crazy tomatoes I’ve got growing right now!