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| "Garden Time" producer Jeff Gustin films host Judy Alleruzzo looking on as Trudie Bason makes salsa for the show. |
The eighth annual Tomato and Salsa Fest is days away and Master Gardener Trudie Bason from Timeless Gardens was busy in the kitchen this Labor Day giving a local TV show a sneak peek at her homemade salsa.
“Garden Time,” a Portland-based gardening show, visited Bason at her nursery in Lebanon Sept. 7. The episode will air the morning of the Tomato and Salsa Fest, Saturday, Sept. 12. The show visited Timeless Gardens two years ago in preparation for a past Fest.
“It’s a fun event,” said Jeff Gustin, owner and producer of the show. “That’s why we came back.”
The Tomato and Salsa Fest is hosted at Timeless Gardens off Brewster Road from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday. It’s free to attend and features a salsa contest and biggest tomato contest. A family friendly event, there will be carnival-style games for kids, vendors, hourly door prizes, and a grand prize valued at $250.
“I had this idea of the Salsa Fest because every time someone buys tomatoes in the spring they’re bragging about their salsa,” Bason said.
The Fest will have demonstrations and samples of tomato foods such as roasted tomato soup, fried green tomatoes, and green tomato bundt cake.
Each year the event gets bigger. Last year saw about 300 locals and this year she expects more.
The salsa competition is open to anyone that brings $3, a minimum of one quart of their homemade salsa, and enters before 10 a.m. on the day of the event.
There are three categories for salsas: hottest that you can still eat, most unusual and best all-around. “Most unusual” entries in the past have included oddly delicious salsas using beets, shrimp, or strawberries and chocolate. Creativity is encouraged.
Tasting tables will display entries and judging is a group effort by all attendees of the event voting for their favorite. At 4 p.m. the recipe with the most votes wins. Bragging rights included.
During the visit from “Garden Time,” hosts Judy Alleruzzo and William McClenathan sampled a recipe with Gustin that won several years ago. It included cucumbers, tomatoes, cantaloupe and mint. The crew was silent between their “yums,” surprised by its flavors, and asked for more.
“It has no gluten. It has none of the things you can’t have,” Bason said proudly.
All proceeds from the event will go to Hannah's House, a non-profit faith-based program helping women and at-risk teens with life controlling problems.
To find the local time Bason’s episode of “Garden Time” will air, visit their website gardentime.tv. The site includes a plant of the week, tip of the week, how-tos, and a blog for all things relevant to gardeners in the Northwest.
“Garden Time,” a Portland-based gardening show, visited Bason at her nursery in Lebanon Sept. 7. The episode will air the morning of the Tomato and Salsa Fest, Saturday, Sept. 12. The show visited Timeless Gardens two years ago in preparation for a past Fest.
“It’s a fun event,” said Jeff Gustin, owner and producer of the show. “That’s why we came back.”
The Tomato and Salsa Fest is hosted at Timeless Gardens off Brewster Road from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday. It’s free to attend and features a salsa contest and biggest tomato contest. A family friendly event, there will be carnival-style games for kids, vendors, hourly door prizes, and a grand prize valued at $250.
“I had this idea of the Salsa Fest because every time someone buys tomatoes in the spring they’re bragging about their salsa,” Bason said.
The Fest will have demonstrations and samples of tomato foods such as roasted tomato soup, fried green tomatoes, and green tomato bundt cake.
Each year the event gets bigger. Last year saw about 300 locals and this year she expects more.
The salsa competition is open to anyone that brings $3, a minimum of one quart of their homemade salsa, and enters before 10 a.m. on the day of the event.
There are three categories for salsas: hottest that you can still eat, most unusual and best all-around. “Most unusual” entries in the past have included oddly delicious salsas using beets, shrimp, or strawberries and chocolate. Creativity is encouraged.
Tasting tables will display entries and judging is a group effort by all attendees of the event voting for their favorite. At 4 p.m. the recipe with the most votes wins. Bragging rights included.
During the visit from “Garden Time,” hosts Judy Alleruzzo and William McClenathan sampled a recipe with Gustin that won several years ago. It included cucumbers, tomatoes, cantaloupe and mint. The crew was silent between their “yums,” surprised by its flavors, and asked for more.
“It has no gluten. It has none of the things you can’t have,” Bason said proudly.
All proceeds from the event will go to Hannah's House, a non-profit faith-based program helping women and at-risk teens with life controlling problems.
To find the local time Bason’s episode of “Garden Time” will air, visit their website gardentime.tv. The site includes a plant of the week, tip of the week, how-tos, and a blog for all things relevant to gardeners in the Northwest.
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