One of the things I have the hardest time accepting here in Texas is the lack of varied and fresh produce. I would have thought that moving to a warmer climate would mean abundant farm stands, and produce departments overflowing with local crops. I am sure that there are people who would argue with me, and to them I have to say that you have obviously not been to Seattle, driven through the Puyallup Valley, or traveled through rural Michigan. The selection here is pitiful by comparison. You can't buy a bunch of basil at the grocery store to make pesto. You have to buy four tiny plastic cartons, each the size of an envelope that contains maybe two to three stems, and costs $1.99 each. Often the herbs inside the packets have seen better days, probably a week or two earlier. I usually just give up and buy the stuff in the jar.Earlier this summer I was on a mission to find real tasting tomatoes for Caprese salad. I went so far as to even buy my own patio variety tomato plant, which did not survive the dog's repeated attempts at transplant to the grass. (He just had it in for that poor plant.) The local grocery chains only seem to have the greenhouse variety of tomatoes or imported tomatoes with a waxy coating on them. You know those hard waxy ones are picked green and then gassed to cause a chemical reaction that turns them red, right? Yes, that is why they are tasteless, flavorless, hard, and have more of a pink to orangish hue as opposed to a true vine ripened, sweet, red tomato. I bought one of those abominations yesterday and made my Caprese salad which was disappointingly mealy and mushy and devoid of flavor. Over gassed at the factory I suppose. (Notice I did not say farm.)
I have tried farmer's markets with limited success. I apparently am not alone in my quest of a tomato that actually tastes of tomato as by the time I usually make it to the market, any tomatoes that the vendors had, have already been sold. I tried an afternoon market in the neighboring town of Pflugerville in the hopes of scoring some of the prized fruit. I got there shortly after the market opened. I have been to several markets in the area, but this was the first where no prices were listed at any booth. I stopped at the bread booth and heard the vendor tell a customer that a small loaf of white was $7, a larger loaf $9 and it was $13 for any of the sweet batter breads. Seriously? I make bread. Bread is cheap to make; it just takes time.
I found one booth with tomatoes. Just a few slightly bruised heirloom variety tomatoes. I chose the largest one and handed it to the cashier who told me "$3". For one tomato. $3 for one bruised tomato. I know it was an heirloom, but did it belong to your granny? Does it have sentimental value to you?
The only grocery store tomatoes that I have found that actually possess some level of flavor and the correct texture are the grape or cherry tomatoes. They are a bit fiddly to slice for a sandwich, but they do nicely in a salad. I like them sliced in half or quartered for larger ones, and mixed in with a can of tuna, leftover plain cold pasta, mayo, Old Bay seasoning, pepper, and maybe a chopped avocado if I have one handy.
If you would like to make your own Caprese, it is easy peasy. Just thinly slice one medium to large tomato. Place the slices in a single layer on a platter. Sprinkle with a good pinch sea salt, and a grinding of black pepper. Lay a slice of fresh mozzarella on each slice. Sprinkle fresh basil leaves over the top. You can use one leaf per slice, or chop a few leaves and sprinkle those. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the top and enjoy! You can also pimp the recipe with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, or by adding capers or olives. I like it just plain and simple though so that the tomato flavor is the star.
