We’ve said this a few times, but it may bear repeating — summer tomatoes will make you question what tomato you’ve been eating the rest of the year.

At Hattie’s Garden, we offer a beautiful and bountiful variety of heirloom tomatoes that have names such as German Johnson, Striped German and Cherokee Purple.

These heirloom tomatoes are full of vitamins A and C, minerals and fiber, and support cardiovascular and bone health. Not to mention they are life-changing in their sweet flavor and juicy, almost buttery texture. Don’t let their appearance deter you from tasting one of the best gastronomic delights available this late summer.

As we mentioned last week, we are hopeful we will have enough heirlooms to harvest through the Labor Day market, but they are going fast, so if you want to try them, please come by the Garden or Market this week, or next, to be sure to get what you want.

We also have a good mixture of heirloom and hybrid cherry and grape tomatoes which are great for snacking, or adding to salads.

We will continue to offer samples to taste at the Garden on Thursday and Friday, and at the Market on Saturday.

Here’s a tip … do not refrigerate your tomatoes. It will ruin their glorious texture and flavor. Keep them on the counter in an area where they won’t be squished by other foods. Only once they’ve been cut should you store in the refrigerator.

What’s Available This Week

The following will be available from Hattie’s Garden on Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. or Friday from 1 – 5 p.m. and at the Historic Lewes Farmer’s Market (HLFM) on Saturday, from 8 a.m. to noon.

• Tomatoes — A wonderful selection of heirloom and hybrid tomatoes this week in all colors and sizes.



• Young Arugula — We are cutting gorgeous new young arugula every week and should have a good supply to pair with your tomatoes.
• Loose Leaf Lettuce — We should have a much larger supply this week for you.
• Mesclun — A nice mixture of our young arugula and loose leaf.
• Young Fun Jen Chinese Cabbage — This is a lettuce-like Chinese cabbage with pale green, ruffled leaves and white ribs. Eat raw or cook lightly.
• Young Red Russian Kale — It’s tender and delicious. We have a limited supply, so stop by the Garden for best selection, or let Hattie know by email you would like to reserve.
• Haricot Vert Beans — Slender, tender and sweet French green beans.
• Peppers — We have a limited supply of sweet and hot peppers. Stop by the Garden for best selection, or let Hattie know by email you would like to reserve.

• Flowers — We can make you a custom bouquet to order, or choose from our prepared bouquets. Each bouquet comes with a packet of flower food. These bouquets should last at least a full week for you as we cut and condition them professionally. Available this week are:
  
  • Gladiolus — Tall flower spikes adorned with large, beautiful flowers.
  • Gomphrena — A very nice purple filler that can also stand alone.
  • Benary Giant Zinnias — These big, bright, and bold flowers are always a favorite.
  • Tall Blue Ageratum — This is a great cut flower with a good vase life. The cool blue color wonderfully sets off the hot colors of other summer flowers such as zinnias.
  • Double-click Cosmos — Available in an array of colors such as white, pink, cranberry and rose.

Yours at the market and garden…