Market Meals is a collaboration between Boulder Reporting Lab and the Boulder County Farmers Markets, featuring weekly seasonal recipes built around ingredients from local growers, ranchers and food producers. Find it in Nibbles every Tuesday and on Boulder Reporting Lab. Sign up to get Nibbles in your inbox.
Eating with the seasons makes us hyper-aware of the passage of time. We count down the days until our favorite farmers market finds arrive. Then, suddenly, local growers tell us that those juicy peaches or beautiful dahlias will be available for only another week or two.
That rhythm encourages us to be present and to thoroughly enjoy what each season has to offer. It also gives us the opportunity to preserve each season’s goodies before we move on to what the next season brings. Preservation is an essential part of eating locally year-round, especially in a place that experiences all four seasons like Colorado.
Thankfully, we have excellent local resources, like Slow Food Boulder County and You Enjoy Life Homestead. Both organizations have visited the Boulder and Longmont markets to offer tips on making the tastes of summer last.
This week’s recipe from Slow Food Boulder County offers another way to preserve tomatoes. Rather than pickling, canning or simply freezing them, slowly roast cherry, plum, currant, pear and grape tomatoes into sweet, chewy bites you can enjoy through the holidays.
For further inspiration, check out Mountain Girl Pickles, Know Your Roots, Ferment Culture, or The Happy Pickle Company. These Boulder County vendors are experts in pickling and preservation with creative offerings like pickled garlic, kimchi and peach salsa.
Slow Food Tomato ‘Candy’
- Tiny tomatoes (cherry, grape, plum, currant or pear)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Dried herbs (such as basil, tarragon, thyme and chives)
- Coarse sea salt
Slice the tomatoes in half. In a large bowl, toss them with a generous glug of olive oil, a sprinkling of dried herbs, and a pinch of salt. Arrange them cut side up in a single layer, face up, on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 220 degrees until the tomatoes are chewy, tender and lightly caramelized, about six to eight hours.
Add them to pasta, sandwiches or omelets, or use them to top grain bowls, salads and pizzas. Serve the oven-dried tomato candy with local goat cheese and crackers.
To store, divide the tomatoes into half-cup portions. Place them in pint jars or freezer bags, cover with olive oil and freeze. To serve, thaw them to room temperature or warm gently in a skillet over low heat.
What’s fresh this week? Farmers are bringing pears, melons, summer squash, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, sweet corn, tomatoes, green beans, okra, carrots, garlic, sugar snap peas, fennel, broccoli, fresh bouquets, meat, eggs and more to the Boulder and Longmont farmers markets this week.
Visiting the Markets
- 13th Street between Arapahoe Ave. and Canyon Blvd.
- 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturdays, April 4-Nov. 21; 3:30-7:30 p.m., Wednesdays, May 6-Oct. 7
- More information
- Boulder County Fairgrounds
- 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, April 4-Nov. 21
- More information
Have a tip or suggestion? Send your comments, questions and ideas to nibbles@boulderreportinglab.org.
