Summer CSA Week 7 | Our 2025 tomato varieties!

Week 7: July 31 - August 3

Reminder: Summer CSA Member potluck & Honey Extraction! Sunday August 10th from 11am-1pm

Last week I talked about how garlic is maybe my favorite crop to grow. But tomatoes are definitely my favorite crop to eat. (We love all of our veggie children equally, of course.) But in my opinion there might not be a better lunch than a fat slice of tomato on good bread, with some salt, pepper, and mayo. Tomatoes are great in all forms, too. Cherry tomatoes are delicious without any fuss or prep, and take any salad to new levels of beauty. Put the time in, and slicer tomatoes star in fresh summertime salsa and mid-winter pizza sauce alike.

Never do we love tomatoes more than in the middle of the winter, when we’re thumbing through seed catalogs to decide on the next year’s varieties. Tomatoes come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors, and every seed company has a few dozen to choose from. This year we could hardly contain ourselves, as the rainbow assortment in the market barn shows week in and week out. We’re growing a whopping 14 slicer and 9 cherry tomato varieties.

This year’s slicers are shown above, and the cherry tomato varieties are below: 

As for how we choose our varieties, we start with varieties we’ve grown to love over the years. Citrine and Sakura for workhorse cherry tomatoes, Black Krim and Cherokee Purple for exquisite rich flavor. Beorange for a low-acid tomato that always tastes amazing.  

Then, we look for complementary attributes - color, taste, size, seasonality, disease resistance, and more. We like red slicers, purple slicers, yellow slicers, orange slicers, and pink slicers. We want a green cherry, a yellow cherry, and a dark, mysterious cherry or two in every mix. And every year we try a few new ones, just to keep things fresh.

Choosing tomato varieties is an exercise in visualizing what the market will look like in late July, in mid-December. And this year, we feel like we knocked it out of the park. We hope you enjoy trying a few of the various tomatoes we have to offer - let us know if you have a favorite!

Have a varied week,

Chris, Ashley, Hallie, and the 10th Street Farm Crew

Please return your CSA bag in the market each week - we reuse them throughout the season to keep costs down and minimize environmental impact!

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In Your Bag This Week

Red Norland Potatoes: Great for summer potato salads, grilled or roasted. Store in a dark, dry place.

Cucumbers: Crunchy and refreshing, chop up for a salad, add to sandwiches or just eat raw! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Jalapeño Pepper: Add some zip to whatever you’re cooking up! Not the hottest pepper, but these flavorful and familiar jalapeños serve up plenty of spice! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Cilantro microgreens: Zippy micros to add a little flavor to whatever's on your plate! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Tropea Onions: Our favorite fresh red onions - mild and versatile. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Tomatoes: Your choice of two slicers or a slicer and a pint of cherries! Store on the counter - never in the fridge!

Broccolini (half shares): Tasty tender broccoli shoots - eat them leaves and all. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Bok Choy (half shares): So versatile! Use in Asian-inspired dishes like soups and stir fries, or just chop and add to anything for a bit more flavor and nutrition. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Zucchini (half shares): Delicious sautéed, grilled, or baked. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Flavor Mix microgreens (full shares): Mild and tasty, these make an easy salad on their own or can add some color to any other salad. Try them on eggs or sandwiches – or anything, really! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Carrots (full shares): These carrots are sweet, crunchy, and oh so addicting! Remove tops and store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Haricot Vert Green Beans (full shares): These are a beautiful French bean, very thin and tender. Steam or sautéed lightly to maintain their beautiful crunch. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Dill (full shares): Fresh and herbaceous, this dill is a great addition to sauces and salads. Store in a bag in your fridge (in a cup of water, if possible!)

What should I make with what’s in the bag?

There’s some divergence between full and half shares this week, because that’s just the way it works out sometimes! But everyone has beautiful red norland potatoes - one of our favorite varieties. Bake them with some herbs and salt, make a red potato salad, or try some skillet potatoes with your breakfast! 

Potatoes aside, we colloquially call this week “salsa week” - the time when tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and jalapeños all hit the bag simultaneously and make for a salsa perfect storm. Try a classic pico de gallo, or toss things in a food processor for a more blended homemade salsa. If you’re looking for another way to use your cilantro, a cilantro lime crema is the perfect addition to tacos, nachos, and even salads.

If you've found a recipe you're loving, please send it our way. We're always looking for new things to cook and share with other members!

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We wash everything in your bag but we wash them in bulk so some things may need an extra rinse at home. Thanks!