Sacto’s summer bounty
If you put down your avocado toast long enough to reflect on how good Californians have it in terms of fresh produce, it’s not hard to see why Best Coast-ers feel so #blessed. On top of that, add the particular bounty of Sacramento, home of some of the best tomatoes you’ll ever put between your caprese-loving lips, and it’s just plain unfair to the rest of the country. But so it goes. This week offers even more opportunity than usual to enjoy the juicy, ripe goodness of California’s cornucopia:
On Saturday, July 16, the ninth annual Capay Tomato is going down at Capay Organic from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. (23804 State Highway 16 in Capay). Taste organic tomatoes fresh from their fields, drink local wine, enjoy local snacks, boogie to live tunes and even camp overnight in the orchards. Festival tickets are $20 in advance and $25 the day of; campsites are $35 in advance and $40 the day of. Visit http://capayorganic.com to buy tickets and find out more.
Go even deeper with your tomato appreciation at the third annual Sacratomato Week, which kicks off on Monday, July 18. All week, restaurants in the Sutter District will be offering tomato-themed menus; standouts include Dixon lamb and whole-milk-ricotta-filled crepes cooked in a tomato sauce at Biba; tomato, strawberry and basil-infused tequila at Centro Cocina Mexicana; a Ray Yeung Farms “great white” heirloom tomato, white peppercorn, lemon peel and golden balsamic vinegar shrub at Paragary’s; and a deep-fried caprese at Red Rabbit Kitchen & Bar.
Then on Saturday, July 23, the Sacratomato Festival will take place at Sutter’s Fort (2701 L Street) from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., with a salsa-making competition, a tomato-tasting garden, a bloody mary area for the grown-ups and live music. Admission is free and all ages are welcome; find out more at http://exploremidtown.org/best-of-midtown/sacratomato-festival or by calling (916) 442-1500.
For something a little sweeter, the Historic Folsom Farmers Market (915 Sutter Street) will be hosting the Peach Festival on Saturday, July 16, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Local vendors will be peddling peach products and there will be a peach-eating contest, canning demos, games and a best-peach-dessert contest. Call (916) 484-7000 or visit www.ilovemyfarmersmarket.com to find out more.