Commercial tomato growers from across the state flocked to Boston to show off the fruits of their labor Tuesday for the 39th annual Massachusetts Tomato Contest.
Sponsored by the New England Vegetable and Berry Growers Association and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, the annual contest is designed to bring awareness of local farmers and agriculture. This year’s contest was hosted by the Boston Public Market Association.
Why a tomato contest? The fruit (or vegetable, depending who you talk to) is an important piece of the Bay State’s agricultural landscape, said Ashley Randle, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.
“Tomatoes are one of the major crops. Typically, on a yearly basis, we have about 6 million pounds of tomatoes produced at over 700 farms across the state,” she said, worth a total value of about $10 million.
Growers had the chance to take home a prize in one of four categories — heirloom, cherry, slicing and heaviest tomato. Pia Tomasello, owner and operator of Upper Hand Farm in Beverly, won third place in the cherry tomato category with a Sungold variety. She said this was her farm’s first year officially growing produce.
“Picking the varieties that will work is really important,” Tomasello said. “From starting them at the right time to planting them nice and deep, lots of stuff goes into growing good tomatoes. I talk to my plants too.”
While time and love go into growing tomatoes, it’s ultimately how a tomato tastes and looks that makes it a prize winner. Twenty judges, from chefs to food lovers, were assigned a specific category and carefully sampled tomatoes from each grower who entered the contest.
Chef de cuisine Isaura Bausier at Oak Long Bar and Kitchen in Boston searched for specific qualities when choosing a winning heirloom tomato.
“You have to look for a very firm, perfectly ripe tomato. You want to check the shoulders of the tomato, make sure that the whole tomato is one color,” she said. “Smelling the stem of the tomato is also very helpful. It should be very bright and fragrant, almost like basil.”
Ahmad Yasin, a chef who runs a catering company, said acidity is also important. For him, it’s more about flavor than shape or color.
“Tomatoes are my favorite thing. It’s an important item in the culinary world,” he said. “People should really go find good tomatoes, instead of using canned.”
Though Coonamessett Farm in Falmouth didn’t snag a prize this year, field manager Shane Chambers said contests like these can help smaller farms like theirs.
“Contests like this help get people’s names out and help people know where they can get local produce,” Chambers said. Tomatoes represent about a quarter of the farm’s sales, he said.
This year’s contest comes amid a strong tomato crop. Last year was difficult for farmers, with substantial flooding across the state and frost in May that decimated many crops across New England and New York last spring.
“This year is really a way to celebrate what’s been a great growing season,” said Ashley Randle. “We want to be able to promote our farms and to be able to educate consumers about where they can find local produce throughout the season.”
Among the 24 farmers competing, honors included a top prize in the slicing category for Langwater Farm in North Easton and to Freedom Food Farm in Raynham for its cherry tomatoes. Russell Orchards of Ipswich won for heirlooms; Ward’s Berry Farm of Sharon clocked in with the heaviest tomato.