by Bob Benenson, FamilyFarmed

Our new Good Food News site will not only enable us to better present articles on the issues and innovators of the Good Food movement, but will be the platform for new features as well. This new content will be largely aimed at bringing FamilyFarmed’s thought leadership to ground level (literally) by providing news you can use about easy ways for you to include more Good Food in your diet and daily lives. And these features will be closely tied to FamilyFarmed’s developing Good Food Is Good Medicine program.

So… have you ever been to a farmers market or grocery store and seen an unusual/artisan/heirloom/heritage variety of food and asked, “What is it, and what do you do with it?” So have we! So we’ll be scouring the market tables and shelves for interesting — and delicious — varieties you might want to try. For starters, meet the San Marzano tomato.

San Marzano Tomato

Purchased from Froggy Meadow Farm, Beloit, Wisconsin at Chicago’s Green City Market

What Is It? This variety of plum tomato originated in the Italian town of San Marzano sul Sarno, and under Italian regulations, only tomatoes from that region may be canned as San Marzanos. Because of this, many people are under a misimpression that these tomatoes are only grown in the San Marzano region. But in fact, San Marzano seeds are readily available in the United States — you can grow them in your garden — and they are sold fresh in a number of farmers markets and speciality shops.

What Do You With It? San Marzano is a variety of tomato known as a paste or sauce tomato. So not surprisingly, it is best known for its use in tomato sauces, and many cooks think San Marzano makes the best pasta or pizza sauce. Like almost all other tomatoes, they can be eaten raw in salads or sandwiches, and are excellent roasted. (Source: https://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/San_Marzano_Tomatoes_7827.php)

FamilyFarmed’s Bob Benenson made this eggplant parmigiana with a sauce he made using San Marzano tomatoes.