Tomato Day in Carrboro

Carrboro Farmer' Market Hosts Annual Tomato Tasting Event – TOMATO DAY on Saturday July 13^th!

Shoppers can sample a selection of the over 70 varieties of tomatoes at Market as well as tomato dishes from Acme and Pazzo!, and local businesses pitch in more than 35 prizes for a town-wide raffle in the week leading up to the event!

Saturday, July 13^th, Event starts 8:30 a.m.

Carrboro, NC – Seasonal eaters, gardeners, chefs, and farmers alike wait impatiently for the first ripe tomato of the season, and that time has finally arrived! The Carrboro Farmers’ Market offers the largest variety and abundance of local tomatoes in the Triangle, and the arrival of tomato season calls for the Market’s biggest annual celebration and tasting event, Tomato Day - scheduled for Saturday, July 13^th!  Last year over 5,000 eager tomato lovers flocked to this celebration, some even donning tomato-themed accessories and full costumes to celebrate the tasty goodness of local tomatoes.  Tomato Day is the same weekend as ACME Restaurant’s highly anticipated 11^th Annual Tomato Festival, making it a weekend of tomato goodness for the local community!

On Saturday, July 13^th, starting at 8:30am, the Market’s volunteer team will serve up an assortment of sliced tomato samples selected from over 70 different tomato varieties. Shoppers can experience the taste of local favorites like Sungolds, Romas, and Big Beefs, alongside truly unique varieties like Nebraska Wedding, Green Zebra, Black Krim, Lady Bug, Lemon Boy, and San Marzano - many of which can only be found at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market. The fresh slices will be paired alongside local breads, fresh cheeses and special tomato themed dishes prepared by Chef Kevin Callaghan of ACME and Seth Kingsbury of Pazzo! The Market will be calling on customers to tell us what they love best about local tomatoes; after sampling, shoppers will have a chance to share what word best describes their tomato tasting experience.

This year’s event will also include a town-wide raffle with over 35 awesome prizes from local businesses! The Market encourages shoppers to stop by participating local businesses July 7^th through 12^th and pick up free raffle tickets for chances to win prizes including dinner at Lantern Restaurant, a camping getaway courtesy of Townsend Bertram & Company, a $75 gift certificate to Back Alley Bikes, appetizers from Elaine’s on Franklin, dinner at the Spotted Dog, gift certificates from the Clean Machine, and much more! Other participating businesses include The Arts Center, Auto Logic, Balloons & Tunes, Beer Study, Carrboro Coffee Roasters, Carrburritos, Club Nova, NC Crafts Gallery, Neal’s Deli, Provence, Open Eye Café, Sandwhich, Tyler’s Taproom, Venable, Vespertine, Vimala’s Curryblossom Café, and more.  Raffle tickets should be turned in at Market on Tomato Day, and shoppers get extra tickets for every purchase at Market that day!

“Nothing says summer like a ripe juicy tomato,” says Market Assistant Manager Margaret Krome-Lukens. “Tomato Day is such a fun way to celebrate summertime, delicious food, and most importantly the wonderful community we’re lucky to share with each other.  We love the community’s enthusiasm for Tomato Day each year, and we can’t wait to see everyone out shopping locally and tasting fresh tomatoes this July!”

Additional festivities include live music by Craig Thompson, face painting, a photo display from Kidzu Children’s Museum recapping April’s Tomato Seedling Giveaway, recipes and more! Tomato Day takes place at Market from 8:30am-Noon on Saturday, July 13^th. Tastings will be offered while supplies last.

Printing for Tomato Day is generously donated by the Market’s Big Beef Sponsor, Laser Image Printing and Marketing! www.laserimagenc.com

In other Market News, we are delighted to announce that UNC Health Care has renewed their Healthy Food Incentives Sponsorship that enables the Carrboro Farmers’ Market to match the first $5 of customers’ EBT, WIC, and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program Benefits.  The Market looks forward to continuing and expanding this exciting program, and thanks UNC Health Care for making healthy food incentives possible at Market!