July 24, 2013

Cherry Tomato Galette


Cherry Tomato Galette from Kitchen Vignettes on Vimeo.

Every now and again, it's good to come face-to-face with a reminder of the skills, determination, and hard work it takes to be an organic farmer in this world. I wrote a post about this last summer, after a particularly grueling day on my organic farming apprenticeship. 

I recently spent some days volunteering my time at Wysmykal Farm, working alongside owners Jessy and Charles who kindly provided the exquisite cherry tomatoes for today's recipe.





From the few days I spent on their farm, I was blown-away by the productive CSA that they run and the tremendous knowledge and skills that they have gathered in their relatively short time as first-generation farmers.


It gave me hope for my own farming aspirations, and in a bigger sense, for the future of our food supply. And hope is what we need in a system where our governments give subsidies to farmers who spray chemicals and grow GMOs, while organic farmers are forced to pay fees to get certified. Shouldn't it be the other way around?? 

If I can recommend you do one thing this summer : spend some time on an organic farm. Offer to spend a day or two pitching in with the weeding (you will most likely be greeted with open arms). Aside from a great work-out, listening to the birds and breathing fresh air all day, the hard work will give you a new appreciation for what it means to grow food in a way that doesn't harm the planet and all the critters and living things around us. Because in a time where our food supply is in crisis due to massive honeybee die-offs, chemical residues tainting our food, and the spread of GMO crops which are causing a massive spike in pesticide use, it really is a good practice to regularly remind ourselves that by supporting organic farming, we're not only feeding ourselves healthier food, but we're also contributing to a better world. One in which the people who work day in and day out, growing food in ways that don't harm the world, can make a livelihood. In my mind, there is no better way to invest in the future.

I hope you'll make this delicious cherry tomato galette. It's the best thing I've made this summer (well, aside from semifreddo which I'm currently obsessed with... stay tuned for a recipe). Get the cherry tomato galette recipe over here on PBS Food. Bon appétit mes amis!




17 comments:

  1. Beautiful, Aube! Sending you Love!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This galette is beautiful. I participate in Wysmykal's CSA and I love every single thing I get, and had one of their gorgeous tomatoes in my lunch today. I think what Charles and Jessie do is wonderful and I am so grateful that I discovered their farm last summer. Some of the best dollars I have ever spent, and I hate when the season ends.

    (I am also so trying your garlic scape pancakes soon!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi! It's great to hear from one of their CSA members, you're very lucky to have such dedicated farmers in the area :-) Enjoy your summer of wonderful produce and thanks for stopping by :-)

      Delete
  3. Dear Aube,
    What is PBS food - are you working for them. I will look at what they are about more closely when I go over for the recipe. I admire your passion about good food and the work you do on this site. I can see, as I get to know you through your writing that we are very like minded on food issues. Just a generation or two apart. :)
    Are you a member of Slow Food in your area? Do you know about Slow Food? I am on the exec in Edmonton and also on the exec for Slow Food Canada. It is the only international organization that works around the world to secure a good clean and fair food supply for all... and if you are not a member already, think you should investigate the closes convivium in your area, as you will find a group of people that you can work to really make a significant difference in your area. Maybe you are doing that already.
    Tomatoes are the perfect food. I grow all kinds and am crazy about them. Have them on my business card. Have a few good posts about the kinds I grow, but have not yet posted a tomato galette. Roast and freeze the extras over the winter and they are little nuggets of gold in and on everything.
    I will definitely make a galette now.
    :)
    V

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Valerie, yes I love Slow Food too, so much so that I even went to visit their headquarters in Italy a few years back and attended their famous Salone del Gusto which is one of my most treasured memories :-)

      Delete
  4. OK - so PBS is the giant tv station. Good for you! The video is BRILLIANT. However, it should have YOUR name and logo in the corner, not theirs. Even if they pay you for the work, it is yours. No artist would do any different.
    If you were closer I would LOVE to learn how you make your videos. Your aesthetic is addictive.
    XO
    V

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Valerie :-) I am right now creating a set number of videos specifically for PBS Food, so those have both my logo as well as the PBS Food logo, but the other videos I make exclusively for this blog have my logo only. Thanks for your nice comments about the videos, it means a lot to me that people enjoy watching them!! :-)

      Delete
  5. this was SO good - the pastry especially is amazing! This recipe makes me love cherry tomatoes even more :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Anne, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Yes, the pastry is quite irresistible isn't it? I'm making this tart yet again this week, can't seem to stop making it this summer because it's such a guaranteed crowd pleaser :-)

      Delete
  6. This video is so much fun! I really enjoyed it. It is put together and edited so well - great work!

    I clicked over from a post on These Light Footsteps that mentioned your galette, so I had to click over to get the recipe. We have a big vegetable garden and are getting lots of tomatoes right now, so I'll have to try out this recipe! It looks absolutely divine. I've really enjoyed my visit to your blog and can't wait to look around some more. It's so visually appealing! :)

    Tammy
    ourneckofthewoods.net

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is the kind of dessert I love. Your photos are fantastic. I want to take a bite. I love this recipe:)

    ReplyDelete
  8. You are such a amazing cook. Epic video. Epic galette. Bravo!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Made this galette today after having it on the to-cook list for a long time and absolutely loved it. I was a bit nervous about making the pastry dough since I think of that sort of thing as very difficult, but this recipe was spot on and the dough rolled out very well -- better results than I've ever had with similar sorts of things. It was delicious, impressed my guests, and I feel like it's easy enough to make regularly. Might even try to make some variations -- do you have any suggestions?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Katrina, I'm thrilled you enjoyed the galette! Suggestions for variations: I've always wanted to try this galette with zucchini slices instead of tomatoes... beets, fennel, leek, are possibilities though I would pre-cook the beets. You could also play around with whole grains in the crust: rye, spelt, etc... Let me know what you come up with! Happy galet-ting :-)

      Delete