A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Miriam was the first woman in the kitchens of NYC’s Four Seasons Restaurant. She’s a former food editor of Weight Watchers Magazine. Her first cookbook, Grains, was published in 1995. She writes “Miriam’s Garden” and food features for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. She’s a contributor to Organic Gardening. Her work has appeared in Prevention, Redbook, Working Woman, Working Mother and Woman’s Day. She was line-editor for the Encyclopedia of Jewish Food and contributed to The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink.
You have an evident passion for gardening which is expressed in your column, Miriam’s Garden for the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette. What are the advantages of growing your own produce?
The advantages of growing your own are numerous, but really, it’s all about the taste and the satisfaction. Plus garden-fresh vegetables are at the peak of flavor and nutrients, which can be lost in shipping and handling.
I’m so proud of my garden, and amazed by it too. While it’s plenty of work, sometimes very hard work it is so rewarding. What’s better than slicing up a cucumber you grew yourself. Tossing it (gently) with your own homegrown tomato, and then plucking a leaf of fresh basil to shred on the top. That’s when I know that it’s summer.
When did you begin gardening? What types of fruits and veggies can we find in your home garden?
I was six years old when I got the gardening bug. I grew radishes and carrots in the alley behind our home in Detroit. My mother, a wonderful gardener was my inspiration, and her mother inspired her. My mother grows prettier flowers but I have more vegetables.
What’s growing in my garden? It’s easier to say what I don’t grow, seriously. No corn (raccoons are a problem). No sweet potatoes, though I’d like to try them. Also I never have luck with eggplant (however my mother does). This year we’re growing three types of potatoes, three types of snap beans; five types of onions, broccoli, four types of cabbage, lots of lettuce, radishes, hot peppers and sweet ones, about 30 different types of tomatoes, mostly heirlooms, cukes for pickling and slicing, zucchini and summer squash and chard. Oh peas, basil, parsley, chives, sage. I know I’ve forgotten something!
What tips do you have to offer those who are new at gardening or just getting started?
Don’t give up! Don’t worry if things don’t work, it might not be your fault. Fence your garden to keep out deer if they’re a problem in your area. Ask your neighbors what’s worked well for them and talk to folks at the nursery when you look at plants. They know what grows best in your region. And raised beds, and we only have two small ones, are great.
What was the inspiration behind creating a cookbook revolving around tomatoes? I have always loved tomatoes and I’ve been growing them for years. Writing about them for years in my column, so this was a perfect topic for me. At signings and tastings, I often bring jam or conserve I’ve made from my tomatoes — people try to buy that too! It’s funny; I have to urge them to purchase the book instead so they can make it.
What types of recipes can we find in Tomatoes?
Many of the tomato recipes in the book have a southern focus, as it is part of a series called Savor the South. So you’ll find the Southern classics such as fried green tomatoes, stewed tomatoes (not like what you get in a can), tomato gravy and green tomato pie. Plus there’s a savory red tomato pie and Double Corn and Tomato Cobbler. Tomatoes from soups and salads to desserts and preserves. A whole world of tomatoes. Some absolutely simple, like the Stand-Over-The-Sink Tomato Sandwiches. The main ingredient? Tomatoes!
Do you recommend purchasing organic tomatoes?
Certainly, and if you don’t grow your own organically as I do, try to buy from a farmstand or farmers’ market. In season is key. Don’t forget supermarkets and places like Whole Foods. They’re carrying a much better selection of tomatoes these days.
10–12 small, ripe, sweet tomatoes (1 pound), quartered or halved if very small (about 3 cups)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives (garlic chives are great here) or scallion greens
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sprinkle with the salt, and cook, tossing often, until they just start to collapse, 2-4 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Add the honey, sprinkle with the chives or scallions, and mix gently with a rubber spatula. The more you stir, the juicier they get.
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