It’s not like we can’t get veggies in Brooklyn. We can, even really good ones, but there’s something unquantifiably satisfying about buying them at an actual farm. That’s why most of our visits to Litchfield County start with a stop at Freund’s Farm Market and Dairy Farm, a cornucopia of flowers, produce, and local specialties like molasses, honey, baked goods, and cowpots. On our last visit there, we filled up our basket with homemade mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, peaches, and blueberry pie. As we were checking out, Theresa, the owner who noticed us snapping pictures, invited us to explore her tomato greenhouse. Her only request was that we focus on the natural beauty rather than her dumpster as one Yale summer art student, with a vision, had done in the past. It was a sacrifice we were willing to make.
A few loops through the aromatic alleyways bursting with perfectly tended tomatoes of various shapes, sizes and colors sent us back into the market for the makings of fried green tomatoes, a favorite summer treat courtesy of our southern roots.
We used Cook’s Illustrated’s recipe, diverging only to up the cayenne by half, and garnish with chopped fresh chives at the end. One tip for successful frying is maintaining your oil temperature at 350 degrees – make sure you have a high heat / candy thermometer on hand to avoid a broken heart brought on by soggy tomatoes!
:: photos by Alexis Fleisig ::
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