It’s a bit like “Christmas morning” When my roughly twice monthly delivery of herbs and greens from Gejo’s Kitchen Herbs Farm arrives in our home. I love to see what the packages contain — spectacular tomatoes, incredibly fresh herbs, and an unusual item or two. While I typically send out an order a few days in advance, sometimes, I either leave it completely up to Gejo and what’s abundant in the farm that week, or, as is often the case, he throws in other stuff for me to try anyway… Today, it was like fondling agricultural “jewels”. There is no other way to describe it. :) First up, the yellow diamonds or perhaps golden pearls… :) Seeds from reader Bettyq, transported across the Pacific Ocean by jet plane months ago, and planted by Gejo in Tagaytay… these are some of the fruit they bore. Stunning colors.
Red Wine Tomatoes, my absolute current locally grown favorite. When they are just right, and many of them are, they are a joy to burst in one’s mouth. Intensely tomatoey, sometimes quite sweet, so unlike grocery chiller tomatoes. These would be the deep burgundy rubies in this shipment… the photos don’t do justice to their darker than tomato red shade of color.
Teardrop peridots? No, little Thai eggplants, perfect for red duck or green chicken curry.
Tiny pearl cherry tomatoes, strung together, they could rival a red coral necklace, but wouldn’t last long and the dripping juices might be murder on your outfit. :)
And finally, some baby beets or more accurately, small beets, that are so fresh they are nearly sweet (not quite) but intensely flavored when oven-roasted and served with some sharp goat’s cheese and perhaps a candied walnut or two. Salamat Gejo. Now for a weekend of cooking and eating that will make use of all these goodies…
23 Responses
Wow!!! They all looked so good!
beautiful food
Very appropriate title…..jewels indeed! MM’s cooking lab in full gear this weekend!
Love the teardrop peridot( my birthstone) eggplant!! Stunning produce..Sweet Betty q.. Gejo’s KHF..you guys are awesome ..these produce will be enjoyed by others you are indeed jewels ! MM thanks for sharing, being here in the Pacific Northwest,i can enjoy most of these produce,now if we ever retire at “home” i can still enjoy them!!
WOW!!!! i am so envious of Gejo… he’s such a green thumb!!! wonderful veggies! i have grown a kaffir plant(potted) i don’t have a garden here. i dream of a farm… herb garden farm!
its so good to see that we can grow these vegetables in PH.. i know in my province we got a lot of these not so common vegetables but most often farmers/growers dont continue to diversify their products because locals in the market doesnt seem to know what to do with them. most of the time they grow what are commonly ordered by the consumers.
MM, I love your green bowl and it shows the jewel produce beautifully. Old (antique) Indonesian celadon?
ConnieC, no, new, Pettyjohn studio or emerging potter’s reject (seconds) sold at the Art in the Park charity event last year… Got two, and wish they had had more… :)
Long before they fashioned replicas of them out of durable minerals and lasting substances, humans down through the ages indeed wore on their persons fresh flowers, fruits, vegetables and herbs for adornment, perfume, expression of identity and personal style and easily accessible snacks.
nice photos! mouthwatering…
MM, I always knew, taste is nothing money can buy. Did I say that right? I am having a buzz from strong Vietnamese coffee and my head is in a fog….. one of those where is pain and pleasure moments…..in the autumn or winter? of my life.
Ms. Connie C…do you have an art center near your place? We have 1 over here which is about 20 minute drive from our place. I took a flower making course made out of glue, cornstarch and made into a dough. At the same place, they have ceramic and pottery classes. Once a year, they have a sale on what the aspiring potters made and some of the pieces are really excellent ( and marked or initialed) and sold DIRT CHEAP!!! I make it a point to go there early and buy pieces I think would make excellent vessels for edible gifts for Christmas!
bettyQ; Thanks, but at this point in my life, I can only admire and no longer want to acquire.
So colourful! And yes, I took notice of the green ceramic bowl and I was thinking of selling my ceramics. Now I do not know if I want to let them go.
they look beautiful but they must really taste Delicious!!
I’m so envious of your Gejo and access to all the good things on his farm. It’s Sidcor for me if I wanted organic goodies. I like the bowls you used to hold the treasures. Somebody was patient enough to teach me pottery at one time and I was able to create “rustic, almost crude” type of platters, plates, bowls … They were ‘perfectly imperfect’ lying on my long tables, distressed ones.
Wow, little gems of goodness!! I can hardly wait for the farmers’ market here in the midwest – probably late July or August before we can have a taste some heirloom tomatoes.
I usually eat those tiny tomatoes like peanuts…..just the perfect size and taste like heaven in my mouth. We have something similar here in Oz and it’s called Tobalong tomatoes and it’s the sweetest and the most delicious tomatoes I’ve ever tasted.
again, beautiful pictures. i just love your use of available light
pearl cherry tomatoes! so that’s what they’re called. our compost pit sprouted a couple of seedlings, and we’ve stopped composting since then. now we have fun harvesting these tiny beauties that are perfect for salads and pasta. i leave them whole when i put them in pasta dishes, and part of the eating experience is letting them burst in the mouth and tasting all the sweet flavors. everyone kept telling me they were cherry tomatoes but i kept insisting they were much smaller than those, and that there had to be a proper name for them. i called them “sago” tomatoes (sago, as in bubble tea!). now i know. thanks, MM and Gejo!
how the seeds got into my compost pit i still do not know, but i’ve made sure to save seeds so i could plant again.
millet – I found the pearl cherry tomatoes growing wild in the farm. That they grow well from the seeds dried from the fruits confirms that they are an heirloom variety. Sago tomatoes – ha ha! Nice name!
I like putting mozarella and a little feta over them over nice crusty bread, some freshly ground pepper , drizzling some olive oil, and putting them in the toaster oven for around 2 1/2 – 3 minutes. Yes, for the same burst in your mouth experience.
is there a way we can order stuff from Gejo? =)
New to the site, and absolutely loving it! =)