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A rainbow of heirlooms bursts into the county
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More from FoodHow do your tomatoes grow?
If the weather's recent yo-yoing between coastal fog and blistering sunshine has left your plants confused — and you without any "T" for your BLTs — not to worry: Several kinds of heirloom tomatoes are rolling into area farmers markets, just waiting to add a burst of summer flavor to your plate.
With their cracked shoulders, scarred bottoms and uneven skin tone, heirlooms can be less lovely to look at than they are to eat. Dave Pommer of Santa Paula ups the visual appeal by displaying his Green Zebras, Cherokee Purples and Yellow Brandywines, all $3 per pound, on a checkered tablecloth.
Organic Lemon Boys, Cherokee Purples and Persimmons — the latter a rose-gold variety that practically glows from within — are $3 per pound from Tutti Frutti Farms, which gives shoppers the option of taking their tomatoes home in compostable Bio Bags.
Also in the market: eggplants, $1.50 per pound, and organic Doughnut peaches, $2.75 per pound. And at 10 a.m. Saturday, chef Tim Kilcoyne of the SideCar Restaurant will present a cooking demo at the market information booth in Ventura.
Finding the markets: Camarillo: 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays, 2220 Ventura Blvd., 482-1507. Ojai: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays, 300 E. Matilija St., 698-5555. Oxnard: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays, Plaza Park at Fifth and C streets, 483-7960, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays, Channel Islands Harbor, 643-6458. Simi Valley: 3 to 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Simi Valley Town Center, 643-6458. Thousand Oaks: 2 to 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, 403 W. Hillcrest Drive, 529-6266. Ventura: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays, Pacific View mall behind Sears, and 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturdays, Palm and Santa Clara streets, 529-6266.
— Lisa McKinnon
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