An Invitation to {Heirloom} TomatoFest 2011

Several years ago Nathan thought it would be fun to grow a few Heirloom Tomatoes…and if he had enough he would try to sell them at a local farmers market.  What started as a couple of rows has now increased to over 26 different varieties and a passion for bringing back “tomatoes with taste”!  In many ways Heirloom Tomatoes represents a respectful look at the past while moving forward with the rest of the world.

We are blessed to be able to do something that we love and to share that with our children while teaching them the benefit of hard work and determination!  While we are not an organic farm we are pledging to be as sustainable as possible in both production and as stewards of God’s earth.  Nathan is a researcher at heart and continues to move towards varieties that require fewer sprays and less irrigation while continuing to produce tomatoes that are enjoyable to use and marketable.  Sustainability is important to us and we respect that it is a priority for many of you as well.  This year we began a chemical-free garden with a variety of heirloom vegetable varieties including a few tomatoes and we are committed to increasing that garden in size each year.

Our families journey has just begun and we invite you to come alongside us for what we believe will be a timely addition to the community effort to bring back local food into the everyday lives and kitchens of Kentuckians.  The Heirloom TomatoFest comes to you as a community effort and would not be possible without our wonderful friends, members of the Community Farmers Market, our church family, neighbors, the local birth community and our 4 young but hard working children, yes even Adaline is working on patience as she works along side us.

Come on out and join us for Tomato Ice Cream Sundaes, Tomato Basil Sourdough Bread, Tomato Tarts, Lots of Heirloom Tomato Dishes, and a taste of over 20 Heirloom Tomato varieties.  Nathan will also be sharing Instructional Demonstrations on Staking, Trellising, Pruning, Suckering and all of the other techniques that make Heirloom Tomatoes possible here in Kentucky!  There’s plenty of room for the kids to run free, places to lay down a blanket and live music starting at 8!  Ya’ll Come!  Thursday July 21st 6-whenever the cows come home!

The Howell Family

Carter & Daddy the first year of planting (2004)

Nathan leading research on Heirloom Tomato grafting at WKU (2006)
Carter and Elizabeth helping daddy pick in the garden (2007)
Elizabeth helping daddy lay plastic (2008)

Carter and Elizabeth helping daddy carry tomatoes in the yellow totes (2009)

Nathan and Lilah reviewing the Heirloom Seed catalogs (2009)

Carter’s first harvest off his plants (2009)

We welcomed Adaline into the world on our farm during peak Heirloom Tomato Season in 2010!

Join us in 2011 as we celebrate the past and make plans for the future!