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Mom’s Sauce
Angela Barra Crocetti
We called her Mom. Her full name was Angela Barra Crocetti. She was my paternal grandmother, and woe betide the individual who addressed her as such. It was Mom. Period. And her husband, Gaetano, well, we called him Pop. That’s just the way it was. Mom was born in Fernwood, Ohio in 1898. My grandfather, Gaetano Crocetti was born in 1894. He left his home town of Montesilvano in the region of Abruzzo, Italy and traveled to Naples in 1913. From there he boarded the Hamburg to sail to the United States of America, arriving at Ellis Island in September. Sponsored by his brothers, he went to live in Steubenville, Ohio, and in 1914 he married Angela Barra. Their firstborn, Guglielmo (William), my father, came into this world in 1916. And his brother Dino followed one year later. Mom was a terrific cook and a terrific grandmother. Uh oh, there’s that word again. She came to visit us, it seems, every day. I remember her driving up in her white Cadillac carrying an impossibly huge buff leather pocketbook. Now that was the treasure chest.
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Gold Medal Tomato
Another in the ongoing series – Exploring Tomatoes
No wonder they call it Gold Medal! Full, sweet flavor, low acid and almost two pounds, these yellow and red bi-color beauties sport a classic multi-lobed heirloom look. If you can find some of these, try one. You will not be disappointed.
I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.
Ananas Noire Tomato
Another in the ongoing series – Exploring Tomatoes
Green, purple orange and yellow all at the same time. Meet Ananas Noire, or as Bart calls it “the Anais Nin tomato”. WOW!! Another great find from Tomatomania. It was marked Ananas Nir, but it was not until I googled it last week that I learned its correct name is Ananas Noire, French for Black Pineapple. This fruit has it all, from the sweet opening to the well balanced tang at the finish. These are big and juicy with bright green flesh. I hope you can find some at your local Farmer’s Market… or perhaps in your own backyard.
I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.
Sungold Tomato
The first in an ongoing series – Exploring Tomatoes
WOW!! What a tomato! Introduced by Thompson and Morgan seed growers in 1992, Sungold is new to me this year. While at Tomatomania some home gardeners were extolling the plant’s virtues, and am I ever glad I was there to listen in. “You won’t believe how sweet it is.” “You will get tons.” “Pretty hardy.” That’s what I heard, and it was enough for me. This tomato is all that and more.
The fruit is borne on long trusses, and each of my Sungold tomatoes weighs between 1/4 and 1/2 ounce. My plant, which I put in the ground in April is already taller than I am. They are so sweet you will eat them out of hand, so if you plan to use them in a recipe, set them away from all the snackers in your home!
I hope you will be able to find some Sungolds this season. Check out your local Farmer’s Markets. I bet you will get lucky.
I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.
My Urban Garden
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This is just the greatest time of year. My garden is anticipation central – tremendous bounty is about to come. It’s the garden I work in every day. It’s the garden for which my neighbors give thanks. It’s the garden my friends envy. Each morning I go to my backyard to inspect it (one must be vigilant in one’s garden), tend the plants and soil (one must keep one’s garden neat, clean and free of debris), and generally check things out. I see that the tomatoes and vegetables are growing bigger, and many of them are beginning to turn from green to their final glorious hues. Whether they will be striped, gold, yellow, orange, red, lilac, purple, brown, white or almost black, it is now that nature begins to reveal her deft hand.