The Florida Tomato Committee (FTC) and nine food bloggers throughout the East Coast recently partnered in an outreach program to spread the word about the Florida tomato. The campaign, which was launched in April to celebrate Fresh Florida Tomato Month, is part of FTC’s ongoing effort to raise awareness of the benefits of Florida tomatoes.
As part of the promotion, bloggers were asked to develop an original recipe with fresh Florida tomatoes as the star ingredient. Participants and their recipes include:
- Alicia Behan, The Wannabe Foodie, Fresh Florida Tomato & Veggie Crepes
- Monica Caretto, Sweetbites Blog, Tomato Rice Salad Stack
- Ashley Centola, Simple Craves & Olive Oil, Tomato, Arugula, & Quinoa Salad with Goat Cheese and Rosemary Basil Pesto
- Lisa Grant, Jersey Girl Cooks, Herb roasted Shrimp and Tomatoes with Orzo
- Brianne Izzo, Cupcakes & Kale Chips, Mediterranean Quinoa Stuffed Tomatoes
- Natasha Kennedy, That’s So Yummy, Cajun Jambalaya Pasta
- Patsy Kreitman, famfriendsfood, Broiled Polenta Bruschetta
- Allie Mak, Live Laugh Eat, Seafood Pico de Gallo
- Gina Matsoukas, Running to the Kitchen, Tomato & Ricotta Salata Salad Stuffed Portabellas
All recipes are now available on the FTC’s website at FloridaTomatoes.org/recipes.
“The bloggers we have partnered with have created a wide variety of recipes — from broiled polenta bruschetta to fresh Florida tomato and veggie crepes to seafood pico de gallo for their readers to enjoy,” said Samantha Daves, director of Education and Promotion at the Florida Tomato Committee. “With their help, we are able to show a diverse audience — including amateur cooks, young professionals and families — that fresh, sun-ripened and field-grown Florida tomatoes are versatile and delicious.