LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2019

TOMATO TIME

Fun Fact LEAMINGTON IS CANADA’S TOMATO CAPITAL: ITS INFO BOOTH ANDWATER TOWER RESEMBLE TOMATOES.

With cooking, tomatoes sweeten and take on more vegetal notes; when raw, they’re more acidic—important pairing considerations. For dishes with uncooked tomatoes, Jason Bangerter likes the savoury notes of a Sangiovese. Pair a high-acid white like Soave or Greco di Tufo with a vinaigrette-tossed tomato salad. Gazpacho finds harmony with rosés. With pasta and other cooked tomato-based dishes, Chef Bangerter’s top choice is Brunello di Montalcino. Bold and earthy, it is made from a unique clone of Sangiovese. With more than 400 different chemicals in play, a tomato’s flavour profile is complex, opening up a world of wine-pairing options. Wine meets its match

Soave Folonari Soave DOC LCBO 176461, $10.95

Brunello Piccini Brunello di Montalcino DOCG LCBO 434696, $42.95

Tomato, Watermelon and Feta Salad The perfect cooling accompaniment to a spicy BBQ dinner. Find the recipe at foodanddrink.ca

Sangiovese Caparzo Sangiovese Toscana IGP LCBO 361022, $12.00

GROWING ESSENTIALS

mends putting marigolds and basil (which also impart flavour) close by. Purchasing seedlings is also fine, Brandner says. Whether they’re

place pots on sunny window sills. Choosing seeds greatly broadens the varieties you can grow. Instead of pesticides, Brandner taps into organic methods to

Tomatoes thrive near Leamington, in southwest Ontario. On the same latitude as northern California, it’s home to growers like Brandner Farms Organics in Ruthven, Ont. Owner Monica Brandner starts to- mato plants from seed in the green- house each spring, four to six weeks before transplanting seedlings to pots or the garden when the chance of frost has passed. Home gardeners can follow suit and use grow lights or

“Tomatoes love our sandy soil and dry, warmweather.”

destined for pots or plots, a rich soil mixed with compost is a must. To help get more nutrients into roots, Brandner adds a table- spoon of Epsom salts to holes just before planting.

keep tomato plants healthy. That means planting wild flowers to attract insect-loving praying mantises, placing birdhouses near fields to draw martins. To keep pests away, she recom-

Monica Brandner, Brandner Farms Organics

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SUMMER 2019 FOOD & DRINK