The BigView
By Chris Murphy
Hey Hey Hey!
Here come the tomatoes!
Yes friends, they are everywhere, by the millions, in thousands of trucks, thousands of acres, and the smell of tomatoes is in the air, especially around our local processors like Stanislaus Foods in downtown Modesto. I have a special ringside seat to this as our company, Sierra Pacific Warehouse Group supports our regional producers, shipping tens of thousands of pallets and bins each year out to the rest of the USA. It is truly mind-blowing to see how many tomatoes come of our area and to see the varieties and quantities of tomatoes in our local markets. Our region really does literally “feed the world”.
Traditionally, from the 4th of July to the middle of October, the roads are filled with tomato trucks, bringing the fresh fruit from all over our region. Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Merced Counties are the epicenter of USA tomato production, with Stanislaus Foods here in downtown Modesto, ConAgra / Hunt Wesson in Oakdale, Escalon Packers in Escalon, Morningstar, Liberty, Paradise, Kagome, and Ingomar in the Los Banos area. Just as Gallo is the largest winery in the world, the Morningstar/Liberty group is the largest supplier of processed tomatoes in the USA.
How did this start?
Back in the 30s and 40s, Italian families relocated to our area as the weather and soil was similar to back home and population encroached on their family farms in the bay area. Augustino Gellasso purchased land off of St. Francis Avenue in 1918. Anté Rodin (founder of Original Joe’s) purchased land off of Claribel Rd in 1941 and began farming the foods of his heritage. Cristoforo Columbo in Escalon and the Ratto Family have been farming tomatoes and other produce in our area since the 1940s and 1960s. There are so many more and these are just a few of our farming pioneers.
The key question.
Are tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable?
The Reagan administration famously determined “Ketchup” to be a vegetable back in the day, but actually, botanically, the Tomato is a fruit, a giant berry actually, that contains its own seeds and comes from a flower. Same goes for pumpkins, cucumbers and the like. But it doesn’t simply end there. It gets a bit more interesting when it comes to the nutritional or culinary definition. Since it is basically savory and for the main course, it falls into line with other vegetables. So, it can be nutritionally classified as a vegetable. US Customs weighed in in 1893, even going to trial to confirm that tomatoes were a vegetable for tariff reasons. It’s all about the money.
So, the answer is both, but since science tips the scales, it’s a fruit.
Sweet or Savory?
There are a wide range of tomatoes, from the sweet Cherry or Grape tomatoes to the deep rich Roma, with low seed count density and hearty skins, destined for a pizza or pasta sauce. There are so many unique Heirloom tomatoes of every color and size that make the world of the fresh tomato so beautiful and interesting. And of course, there are the green tomatoes, some slightly underripe and tart, to those Heirlooms bred to be green. Whatever your preference, tomatoes are delicious and nutritious and our area is the global home of tomatoes.
Ok let’s start finding things to eat.
Let’s start fresh at Rodin Ranch Markets. The Rodin sisters have two different markets, Marie in downtown Modesto on 10th and J open Monday through Sat and Antoinette on the original farm at Claribel and Oakdale Road, open daily. Do not miss the Modesto Certified Farmer’s Market, open on 16th St on Thursday and Saturday mornings. This month you will find nearly every kind of tomato available. It is an absolute wonderful time to eat fresh, while the canneries pack food for the entire world. There are many farmer’s markets and roadside stands in our area loaded with fresh treats.
Variety!
There is so much to choose from, from full bodied to grab ‘n go. Here are just a few of the varieties and the way you can regularly get through fresh markets, food service or retail: Heirloom, Roma, Plum, Cherry, Beefsteak, Tomatillo, Roma Whole, Half, Paste, Ground, Crushed, Puree, Diced, Fire Roasted, Green Diced, Green Crushed, Fire Crushed, Dark Fire Crushed, Fire Diced, Chipotle, Smoked and so many more. Stanislaus Food sauces are normally just sold through food service, but you can find them locally at Rodin and other local markets.
Are you hungry yet?
Pasta and Pizza Sauce
Here is where our region shines the most. With our abundance of fresh tomatoes, special pasta sauce recipe is the foundation of any great Italian restaurant. Local places like Ciao Bella, Galletto, Verona, Gusto Italiano, Palermo, Surla’s, Pastas Pronto, Papapolloni, have recipes that are out of this world. There is even an Italian food truck in the Grubhub, Braulio’s. Sadly, we lost Chefs of New York and hope that Vinnie will be back somewhere soon.
It’s not all spaghetti and meatballs
There are so many sauce varieties that included the basic Ragu, Marinara, Bolognese, Pomodoro, Puttanesca and the spicy Arrabbiatta that all are wonderful uses of fresh tomatoes and premium pasta sauces. Needless to say, there are thousands of other creations out there. Check out the menus as most of our local chefs use and promote our local sauces like Stanislaus.
Appetizers
One of the best fresh tomato appetizers is Bruschetta. Paired with the right bread it’s amazing. Then you have fresh tomatoes and burrata. At home, one of the best appetizers and snacks you can make is fresh mozzarella, slice tomatoes and Balsamic vinegar (you can add chopped basil to, I don’t) Yum. Do not over look these on our local menus.
Pizza
Yes, just yes. You can get some amazing flatbreads and pizza with the most amazing flavors. Galletto, Surla’s, Rancho Fresco have amazing pizza ovens and don’t forget Paul’s Rustic you can find around town. We need more pizza downtown and everywhere.
Fried Green Tomatoes?
If you thought that this was just a southern thing, you can actually find these here in Modesto at Harvest Moon thanks to Jessie Wiggins’ South Carolina roots and her team. I had these this week and it feels like I am in the deep south and they are delicious.
100% winner
For fresh tomatoes, one of the all-time greats is the BLT, bacon, lettuce and tomato. Crispy toasted bread, lettuce and some mayo, this is one of the best ever sandwiches.
Green Sauce? Red Sauce? Salsa?
All of these amazing sauces you can get with Chile Verde, Colorado and so much more add flavors that we all love. No salsa is complete without diced and crushed fresh tomatoes. There are even some fire roasted and chipotle salsas you can get premade.
Ketchup
You know the famous ketchups, “Anticipation” was one of the famous ads in the 70s and 80s. But this standard and basic condiment has evolved in so many ways.
Sun Dried Tomatoes
This is a taste sensation that is a game changer. From salads, pizzas, and toppings, you can get this great and intense tomato flavor and are a great addition to most pasta dishes, especially those with olives. Great combo. Traina Foods in Patterson makes a sun dried Ketchup that will turn the ordinary ground beef patty into a gourmet meal. Don’t judge until you have tried it, it needs to be in your refrigerator now.
Soups!
Don’t you love a good tomato soup? This is a staple since you were a kid. An amazing tomato bisque (with some Lobster). or a grill cheese and tomato soup warms up any fall or winter day.
Bloody Mary
No weekend brunch or morning golf game should start without a nice Bloody Mary. These are really specialties of the house and most places have their own special recipe from regular to fire-breathing-sinus-opening spicy. Many of our local places have elaborate custom Bloodies, with bacon, small sandwiches, a variety of veggies and even French toast! Check out the French Toast Bloody from Harvest Moon. Talk to your local bartender and see what you can create. Odds are, if your fave restaurant has a brunch, they have a custom Bloody.
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Michelada
Blood Mary, meet beer. Beer, meet Bloody Mary. What more do you need to know? Most places make a Michelada and your fave Mexican restaurant should have a spicy house specialty.
Clamato?
Yes, it’s a thing. I know plenty of people that love Clamato juice with Vodka. Hey, I don’t judge.
The amazing thing is, these products all come from our area. Stanislaus and Merced Counties have the largest tomato processors in the USA. 90% of all of the tomatoes consumed, come from California, in particular our region. So be proud, be tomato friendly, and explore the amazing tastes we have in our area. We supply most of the world’s tomatoes, have the world’s largest winery, we are the Home of American Graffiti, and the birthplace of Rockabilly and we have so many great people and local businesses, you gotta love it.
I hope to see you out and about enjoying our locals life and please feel free to share your favorites as I know there are so many local options we did not have room for on these pages.
chrism@modestoview.com<mailto:chrism@modestoview.com> or comment @modestoview on the socials.
Did you know?
There are thought to be more than 3,000 varieties of heirloom or heritage tomatoes currently being grown globally, and more than 15,000 known varieties in total.
Tomatoes and tomato products are rich sources of folate, vitamin C, and potassium. Relative to phytonutrients, the most abundant in tomatoes are the carotenoids
The English word for tomato comes from the Spanish word tomate, which itself came from the Nahuatl, the ancient Aztec language, word tomatl. The Aztec name translated to “Plump thing with a navel.”
Found at Walt Disney World Resort, Florida, USA, the largest single tomato plant in the world covers an area of 56.73 metres sq – bigger than an Olympic size swimming pool!
Here in the US, tomatoes are mostly grown in California. Florida and California account for at least 70% of the whole U.S. tomato production. California alone accounts for 95% of the processed tomato production, so the sauces and salsas you’re buying most likely came from California.
La Tomatina is an annual festival in Spain, where people throw 150,000 tomatoes at each other. There are around 10,000 varieties of tomatoes worldwide. Instead of having this festival here, how about we create a Tomato Festival? It would be pretty tasty and we are in the center of the growing region.
According to the USDA, Americans eat 22-24 pounds of tomatoes per person, per year and roughly half of that comes in the form of ketchup and tomato sauce. So we had better get going!
Please share your tomato ideas with us. @modestoview info@modestoview.com<mailto:info@modestoview.com>
