Tomato Lore
Since we will be having tomatoes all winter and Thanksgiving is coming, we give thanks to the tomato and Colonel Johnson!
From http://www.produceoasis.com/Items_folder/Vegetables/Roma.html

This vegetable is actually a berry, and is thought to have come first from the Andes mountains, and the present name is close to the Indian name. It belongs to the nightshade family, along with potatoes, eggplants, peppers and tobacco.

In Europe, where it was taken by the Spanish, the tomato was grown only as an ornamental for many years. Eating tomatoes was considered certain to prove fatal. Even in North America, it has been only in the past 150 years that people mustered enough courage to try eating them. That all changed starting on the courthouse steps in Salem, New Jersey, at twelve o'clock noon on September 26, 1820, when Colonel Robert G. Johnson ate not one, but a basketful of tomatoes. He not only lived, he wasn't a bit ill following his demonstration.

In 1893, the Supreme Court ruled that the tomato must be considered a vegetable, even though, botanically, it is a fruit. Because vegetables and fruits were subject to different import duties, it was necessary to define it as one or the other. So, tomatoes were declared to be a vegetable given that it was commonly eaten as one. (Source: The Packer, 6/9/90)

Tomatoes were popularized in this country when the Creoles in New Orleans included them in their popular gumbos and jambalayas. (Source: The California Tomato Board)

Elegant Appetizer

Well, maybe not, but it sure is a crowd pleaser! This quick and easy snack is a cheap alternative to chips and crackers. The new harvest from Bellews Creek is in, popping up big, fluffy butterfly flakes, so get poppin'!

Here's a recipe I found to be well described, and close to how I do it, complete with good photos:
http://www.recipegirl.com/2011/10/13/how-to-pop-popcorn-on-the-stove/

My notes on her method:
- I do not wait until the first kernal pops before I put the lid on. I put it on when the popcorn goes on.
- My stove won't pop the corn unless it's on medium-high, sometimes a little higher
- I empty my pan into a stainless bowl so the popped kernals don't scorch in the hot pan.

- I used to heat the oil and a few kernals first, and add the rest, like Jamie taught me, but I no longer do. I add the popcorn into the cold oil and cook it like this recipe describes. Once you get your technique down and make the most perfect delectable popcorn every time, you will never be able to stomach microwave popcorn again.