Tomato Feta Salad

Late Spring and early Summer means it is tomato time. If you’ve been buying tomatoes before this time of year, you’ve likely been buying foreign grown tomatoes which often lack much in taste. Even when they are in season, supermarkets often stock tomatoes that are the most commercially viable. That is, they stand up to the time and rough handling it takes to get them on supermarket shelves after picking (which can take weeks). Picked unripe, these are often dull in flavor.
There are few things that can compete with a freshly grown tomato that was picked when ripe. As manager of our local Newhall and Canyon Country farmers markets, this is my favorite time of year. Our spring produce is coming in and this means freshly grown tomatoes. Certified farmers markets like ours only sell local produce (this is a state law). This means you can expect top quality produce grown by local small family farms. Our farmers pick only when things are ripe and then bring them directly to our market, often within 24 hours.
For tomato lovers, this is a great thing. We are thrilled to host several farmers at both of our markets that grow many varieties of tomatoes. At our Saturday Old Town Newhall Farmers Market, Sunrise Organic Farms is well known for their tomatoes. Organically grown in the rich soils just outside of Solvang, they grow many varieties of tomatoes. çFarmer and co-owner Andrew is especially proud of his favorite variety, the Mountain Magic tomato. This is a good general use tomato that is bursting with flavor.
At our new Wednesday Canyon Country Farmers Market, farmer Jose Alcantar grows big flavorful heirloom tomatoes on his family’s certified organic farm just outside of Carpinteria. Like all of our farmers, they grow for quality and then quickly and carefully bring everything to our market.
Our favorite way to enjoy tomatoes is in a simple salad. Both of our farmers markets have the amazing ingredients you will need for this simple recipe. This recipe calls for feta cheese. We love to make use of the dairy direct feta cheese sold at both of our markets by the Achadinha Cheese Company. This is a fourth generation family dairy farm that sells a wide array of cheese and dairy made with milk from their pasture raised cows and goats. The feta is sold in a sea salt brine and when combined with tomatoes, it creates a magical mix.
A high-quality olive oil is also essential for this dish. We have you covered here as well. Both of our markets host Verni Farms with olive oil they grow, pick, press and bottle themselves. We think it is one of the finest examples of California olive oil you can get.
Many of our farmers grow fresh herbs, which will make all the difference in this dish. If you are looking to put together a stunning side dish and are short on time, you will love this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 pound (approx) fresh tomatoes, diced
¼ Cup cubed/diced feta cheese
½ Cup chopped sweet onion
2 T olive oil
2 T fresh chopped basil
2 T balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all
ingredients into bowl and toss. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.

The Old Town Newhall Farmers Market operates every Saturday from 8:30 until 1pm in the parking lot of the Old Town Newhall library. The Canyon Country Farmers Market operates every Wednesday from 4pm until 8pm in the parking lot of the Canyon Country Community Center. Both markets are certified farmers markets and operate year round, rain or shine. The markets can be found on Facebook, Instagram or at www.newhallfarmersmarket.com and www.canyoncountryfarmersmarket.com.

Comments