I went to Urban Oaks Farm today with lush gardens filled with exotic food in...New Britain!?! (Insert screeching record sound here) I know, it's surprising. Nothing against New Britainites but it's an urban area! And yes, this farm is in the middle of the city making it the largest urban organic farm in New England.
I came across the story idea after reading an article about exotic foods in the New York Times. (Let's pretend I read the newspaper everyday, it makes me sound smarter.) I pulled up to the farm skeptical because it looked so small from the outside. I couldn't imagine this was the expansive greenhouse that I had read about in the N.Y.T. But sure enough, I stepped inside and it was like living out Alice In Wonderland because 1) it looked astronomically bigger while inside 2) it was what I imagine a foodie's acid trip might be like.
I tried the most amazing fruit today! It's called a strawberry husk tomato. It looks like a teeny green tomato (about the size of a chick pea) wrapped in a blanket. The blanket is a husk which you peel away. Then you pop it into your mouth like candy. I HATE TOMATOES. So I was hesitant when farm General Manager Mike Kandefer asked me to try one. How bad could it be? I sucked it up and chewed it slowly, taking in the flavor. My first reaction was...eww it has the texture of a tomato. But I kept chewing to be polite. Then the flavor hit me! It tasted like a cross between a strawberry and a pineapple. YUMMY! I ended up taking a little box back to the station and fed everyone this new fruit I felt I had discovered.
I had a similar experience with my first fresh fig. The key word is "FRESH"! I don't care for dried figs. They look like big raisins and they make you...you know! But when Mike picked one straight from the only fig tree in Connecticut, I felt obligated to take a bite. I was shocked by how delicious it was! The center was pink and it sort of looked like a brain (not the best way to describe something I'm trying to get you to eat, I realize this). On a less scary note...it was sweet, succulent and unique.Sorry for the long blog post but I felt inspired.
P.S. Please don't compare my YouTube video with ijustine. If my videos are like her videos I'm never making a video again. Unless you can find a really funny one. In which case, please send it to me. :)
P.P.S. Best weather EVER today! 70s, sunny and low humidity. Perfection.