Hollywood Farmers' Market to Host 'Peak of Season Tomato Festival'

This summer has been a delight for tomato lovers in the Southern California region. In a for this column, I shared about a few of the tomato farmers who come to the Hollywood Farmers’ Market, but this was before I met the Elser family, farmers who specialize in heirloom tomatoes. They had me after the first bite when I sampled one of the varieties from their prized selection.

“We kept waiting for the summer heat to get here, but it finally broke a couple of weeks ago,” said Darrell Elser, the owner of Elser’s Country Farm, an organic farm located in Yucaipa.

Along with his wife and two daughters, Elser started his farm in a small two-acre parcel adjacent to his backyard. They started growing a few heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers and raised chickens for eggs, but now the farms boasts more than 50 heirloom varieties grown throughout the year.

“Tomatoes do well in the dry conditions we have, but it’s been cool at night,” said Elser.

Southern California has had a mild summer thus far, but the recent high pressure heat finally arrived in the region towards the end of August thus turning the valleys into sweltering and humid zones. A tomato is one of the few produce items that only gets better with such heat.

“The cool temperatures allow the plants to grow nicely, but it’s the heat that brings out the true flavor in these tomatoes,” said Elser.

At the market, Elser’s Country Farm offers the most exquisite sampling of what a tomato can and should be. Shoppers may taste and purchase from a selection of heirloom tomatoes that include Summer Cider (intense sweet,) Valhalla (rare deep pink,) and Cherokee Green (amber green with rich flavor.)

“Commercial farmers are only interested in getting large yields instead of growing quality flavor,” Elser said.

Elser also grows green, black and yellow zebras, a selection of striped tomatoes that have a mild smoky sweetness. The farm also grows clusters of small cherry and grape tomatoes that come in a variety of colors, textures and flavors.

“The rarest tomatoes we grow are these Ethiopians,” Elser said while holding up a small purple-black heirloom as if it was a precious gem.

Black Ethiopians are actually an old Russian heirloom variety that has an exceptional, rich fruity yet tangy taste. According to Elser, the seeds are very difficult to find and he believes his is the only farm that grows them in the area.

With another heat wave expected to blast the area again this week, it’s perfect timing because this coming Sunday, Sept. 11, the Hollywood Farmers’ Market will host its annual “Peak of Season Tomato Festival,” a celebration of the abundance and variety of tomatoes available at the market throughout the summer season. All festivities are free and open to the public and will take place during market hours (8 a.m. to 1 p.m.)

During the festival, shoppers may taste tomatoes from Elser’s farm as well as other farms selling at the market. Expect to find such varieties as Purple Cherokee, Persimmon, Yellow Brandywine, Sungold, Green Zebras, Black Cherry and Red Romas.

Chef and radio personality Evan Kleiman will also be on hand to show market shoppers delicious and simple recipes to prepare with the tomatoes. For gardeners, experts who will show which plants grow well in Southern California areas and share seed-saving techniques to use for next year’s planting season. Kleiman will be followed by Los Angeles Times food editor, Russ Parsons, who will also offer advise on how to enjoy the summer tomato harvest.

The festival will also welcome the Los Angeles County Master Food Preservers, a trained volunteer group dedicated to educating the public about safe home food preservation and food storage. They will show us canning methods or air-vacuum type of storage to take these summer treats so we may enjoy eating them during the winter months.

Chefs from the Farmer’s Kitchen, the market-sponsored restaurant, will be giving cooking demonstrations and offering free recipes inspired by ingredients purchased at the farmers' market. Tomato farmers will  be available to answer questions about the tomato growing season.

Please feel free to share stories and recipes of the items you find interesting at the market. If you see me strolling about, please say hello.

See you next week at the market!

The Hollywood Farmers Market is located at the intersection of Ivar and Selma avenues, between Sunset and Hollywood boulevards. Rain or shine, it is open every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market is a certified open-air street market with approximately 100 farmers, 30 local artisans and 40 baked-goods and prepared-food vendors who sell their products every Sunday. It is a direct-to-consumer marketplace with all produce and products from local, California vendors and growers.

Parking: Cinerama Dome: $3 for first two hours with validation available at the information booth at Ivar and DeLongpre avenues. Metered parking: Check parking enforcement signs. Some meters free until 11 a.m. on Sundays.

Dog Sitting: Only tagged assistance dogs are allowed at the market, but this shouldn’t stop others from walking their dogs to the public event. There’s a dog sitting service provided at the corner of Ivar and Vine streets. Your prized pooch will get to socialize with other dogs while you do your shopping at the market. It charges a small fee of $5 per 20 minutes.