Local Yokels

This post is a little late but recently I had the opportunity to enjoy some tomatoes from the Mt. Laurel outpost of the Jones Valley Urban Farm. Heirloom tomatoes for me are representative of all that is good about local, sustainable food that has a history. When the summer sun is at its fiery peak and the rain is lacking just enough you take the rich soil of Alabama's black belt and get some tomatoes that are so sweet, so meaty and have this acidity that is so perfect you don't want anything to eat but tomatoes. They are the crown jewel of the season that gives us our best produce of the whole year.

I can't finish this post without again giving note to Jones Valley Urban Farm. The work being done there by Edwin Marty may prove to be one of the most dynamic and influencing factors in the food culture of Birmingham and the South that has come about to date. I don't doubt that the good work done there will soon impact the whole nation. Check them out at www.jvuf.org.