It’s all about the tomatoes at the 13th Annual Tomato Festival that will be held this Saturday, August 10 at the Historic Lewes Farmers Market (HLFM) as part of the celebration of National Farmers Market Week. Let’s celebrate it!

A fun time is in store for all age groups with events such as tomato tastings, games, recipe contests, face-painting for children, and guessing the number of cherry tomatoes in a jar. The market runs from 8 am to 12 noon.

From 9:30 to 11 a.m., you can sample wonderful tomato dishes prepared by the best local chefs in Delaware using juicy tomatoes from market vendors. Hattie’s Garden is thrilled to be paired with pastry chef Dru Tevis of SolDel Concepts. We provide the tomatoes and can’t wait to see what wonderful creation Dru has for us!

In addition, you can expect other market vendors to offer a multitude of fresh, local fruit and vegetables, baked goods, grass-fed meats and poultry, and locally-produced farm products. We hope to see you there.

If you can’t wait until Saturday for our tomatoes — we are harvesting some of the nicest heirlooms this week, along with plenty of very tasty cherry tomatoes which includes our diminutive Jasper cherry. Although a small bite-sized cherry tomato, Jasper doesn’t lack in wonderful taste, or production in our summer garden. Plants are topping out well over 8 feet and I’m considering acquiring a pair of stilts so I can pick them!

Catch us this week at the Garden beginning Tuesday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., or the Wednesday HLFM Market (by the Crooked Hammock) from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., and of course on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the HLFM located at George H.P. Smith Park. If these times/dates do not work for you, please email Hattie to make other arrangements.

What’s Available This Week

• Heirloom Tomatoes — We are pulling lots of heirlooms this week.
• Cherry Tomatoes — Beautiful cherry tomatoes in every color. In mixed pints.
• Basil — We have plenty of fresh cut basil to go with our tomatoes.
• Arugula — It’s young, clean and flavorful. Triple-washed and kept cold for you in our coolers.
• Radishes — Looking forward to harvesting a few radishes this week.
• Blackberries — We may have a final pint or two of blackberries.
• Specialty Cut Flowers — Lovely Lisianthus in a range of colors from white to lavender to blue, amazing Benary Giant Zinnias, cheery Gomphrena, fragrant Dianthus, stunning Double Click Cosmos, and beautiful Tall Blue Ageratum. Each of our flower cuttings, which will last you at least a full week, are pretty enough to stand alone in a vase. Choose a freshly prepared bouquet, or have a custom bouquet made for you on the spot, which comes complete with a packet of flower food.

Yours in the garden and at the markets,