Tomato Festival hardly a rotten time

The center had 20 varieties available for sampling.

By Grace Clarke
Sept. 4, 2008

Although the Bradford Research and Extension Center saved its fourth-annual Tomato Festival for a rainy day, the weather did little to dampen the excitement of gardeners and tomato fans alike.

"We got lucky," said Leslie Shaw, a horticulturist at the Bradford Center. "The rain started up again after people had arrived, but they didn't care."

To cope with the weather, the festival was moved under tents and indoors.

Thursday's rain wasn't the only obstacle to a successful festival. The Bradford Center shouldered the burden of both a season of high precipitation levels and salmonella.

"Our sampling's gotten a lot smaller," Shaw said. "Moisture improved conditions for fungi and bacteria, which give us a smaller yield and a lot of green fruit."

She said some of the tomatoes spoiled before ripening.

In June, the Food and Drug Administration advised consumers against buying and eating raw plum tomatoes for fear of salmonella contamination. Although the ban was lifted a month later, consumers were wary of the 1,442 cases of salmonella illness reported across the nation.

"We have a really close relationship with [our supplier] US Food Service," Campus Dining Services spokesman Andrew Lough said. "When issues of this nature come up ... they may make decisions to not even supply the products in question."

Facing such adversity might have dissuaded coordinators, who had cancelled the tour of the center's Botanic Gardens earlier in the day.

"I planted that first plot of tomatoes years ago," MU Extension regional horticulture specialist James Quinn said. "It's nice to see we're still growing."

Festival guests were also undeterred.

"The only thing the weather's affected is where the festival is held," said St. Charles native Ellen Griffith, in between boasts about her salsa recipe.

Griffith was one of more than 300 guests who attended the festival, many of whom traveled hours to the Bradford Research and Extension Center, located in southern Columbia.

Visitors came for the tomato tasting as well as the education.

"We are primarily an agricultural research farm," Shaw said, "but horticulture more easily appeals to homeowners. A lot of educational possibilities come from this event."

Four experts from MU and neighboring universities gave seminars on breeding, hybrids and home gardening advice. A panel of master gardeners lined the entrance. Information also circulated among attendees.

"Tomatoes were all anyone talked about this summer," said Leslie Winjum, a former copy editor for Packer, a produce industry publication. "I love talking tips and tricks with people who care about the hardiness of a fruit as I do."

Twenty varieties of tomato were available for sampling, down from last year's 50. But the festival was not lacking in salsa recipes.

Mexican-flavored salsa proved the most popular recipe, with pico de gallo coming in second.

"I'm scary into salsa," MU senior Lauren Riley said. "This is the perfect event. It really gets students off campus."

Deemed a success by the Bradford Research and Extension Center, the Tomato Festival can look forward to a fifth year.

Griffith has already planned to attend.

"It's muddy, and it's rainy, but we all have green thumbs here," she said.

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