03 May 2023

La Bourdaisière et ses tomates

The Château de la Bourdaisière, on the eastern edge of Tours and a 45-minute drive from Saint-Aignan, is a "tomato conservatory" — the owners grow hundreds of varieties, of all colors and shapes and host a tomato festival in September, when the tomatoes are ripe. Here's a link to the web page about it in French (or English).



If you go to La Bourdaisière in May, as I did when we were first exploring the region, you're likely to see things like these: Above, tomatoes and tomato sauce preserved from the previous year's crop. And below, tomatoes freshly planted and the supports that they will climb up on as they grow. I need to go back there this September...

14 comments:

  1. I love it. The Passata! I can imagine how good it tastes compared to most store bought. Maybe I finally get going on that this summer.

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  2. Wow, that's fun -- I hope you do go back next September!

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  3. Interestingly, it is in the north of the continent where the tomato originates that it is the most tasteless, unless you grow your own vines or have access to farmers’ markets where you can get homegrown tomatoes. What looks like tomatoes is on sale year round in stores.
    In France, the variety Marmande is one of the best tasting, if not the best. Contrary to the US, store bought tomatoes in France are perfectly edible. One of the reasons is the shorten communication between producer and consumer. So the grower can pick the fruits(!) at their peak and sell them in markets a few hours later later.
    If you want a good laugh, here is a story about tomato, an obscure (to me) associate Justice of the US Supreme Court and . . . money (tariffs), what else? That case decided unanimously is Nix v. Hedden

    https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/even-supreme-court-maintains-tomato-vegetable-180963133/#:~:text=In%20all%20the%20ways%20that,and%20peas%2C%E2%80%9D%20he%20wrote.

    And the tomato is still a fruit, and still inedible in the US!

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    1. Yes, chm, I agree unless you are lucky enough to get them at a farmer's roadside stand, fresh from the field. That seems to be mostly an east coast phenomenon.

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    2. It's a question of single vs. plural. The tomato is a fruit, but tomatoes are vegetables. The law always tries to clean up the usage of the language. Off topic: I am amazed that you decided to live in the U.S. when you have so many complaints about life there.

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    3. I think complaining is a typical French trait!

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    4. As Beaumarchais (Figaro) and I said many times, Without the freedom to criticize, there is no genuine praise. So, when I say something positive, I think it has actual value. Of course, I might be wrong.

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  4. The tomato stakes are neat. My dad had a big collection of stakes, but later on he grew them on our chain link fence which worked out really well. He planted 125 plants and sold the tomatoes to the local green market. I never tasted a better tomato than his. I think they grow best in alkaline soil like Kentucky has and you do too.

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    1. My mother grew the tastiest tomatoes I've ever eaten in her back yard vegetable garden back in the 1960s and 1970s. At least that's my memory. Walt is going to plant tomatoes in our garden in a few days.

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    2. They might be bathing in oil to keep them from contact with air?

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  5. I'm sure there are lots of products there I'd like to buy. Good to know of its existence. I would definitely make a side trip here.

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    1. Starting in 2004, when we had our first vegetable garden here, we enjoyed great tomatoes. Only in 2007 (too wet) and 2022 (too dry) did our tomatoes fail us. I think that's why I never went to La Bourdaisière to buy tomatoes there in September. As for the tomatoes in jars, I wonder if they are in vinegar or in brine.

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    2. see comment above !!

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  6. I'm guessing one of those jars above might be pickled tomatoes, which are surprisingly good tasting.

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