THE sweet taste of tomatoes attracted scores of shoppers to the Farmers’ Market yesterday morning as local farmers celebrated the numerous varieties they grow in the kingdom.
It was Tomato Week at the Budaiya Botanical Garden on Saturday with the Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry members manning a special stand in which people could taste around 15 types of tomatoes to help farmers decide which ones to focus on growing in the future.
“This is the best growing season for tomatoes and the perfect time to showcase them,” said one of the team organisers at the Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry, Dr Abdelmawgoud Ismael.
“We made this stand to assist visitors in learning more about the tomato, such as selecting the best seeds to use that can grow under Bahrain’s environmental conditions, and what kind of care the plants need for the best growth rate.”
He explained that tomatoes were sensitive to hot environments so it remains best to sow seeds during late August, transplant them by end of September and watch them flower one month later. By the end of December, January and early February the ripe red fruit is ready to bite into for a tasty sensation.
The stand also featured an evaluation and taste-testing section.
“We have around 15 varieties, including cherry tomatoes in orange, yellow, red and what we call ‘chocolate’, as well as cluster tomatoes,” added Dr Ismael.
“We want customers’ opinions about the kind of tomatoes they like. Do they like more of a sweet taste or sour bite? That way we can inform the farmers to focus on certain favoured varieties, which opens a wider marketing window.”
According to Dr Ismael, yesterday’s visitors leaned towards the red cherry tomato due to its sweetness.
Not only are tomatoes scrumptious, but they are also chalk-filled with a substance called lycopene that gives them their bright red colour and helps protect them from the ultraviolet rays of the sun.
In much the same way, it can help protect people’s cells from damage. Tomatoes also have potassium, vitamins B and E and other nutrients.
Dr Ismael is delighted that the Farmers’ Market is back with special festivals like Tomato Week ‘it’s a great way to help people learn more and spread agricultural awareness’.
The market, which features more than 30 stands featuring farmers, nurseries and agricultural companies, also includes a section for productive families, a corner for dates and another for honey.
There are also agricultural machines on show that were used in the past for cultivation, ploughing, planting and harvesting. Children climbed the giant machinery to take social media images while parents shopped around for the star of the day – the tomato – and farms such as the ‘King Hamad Prize for Agricultural Development’ award-winning Mirza Hassan Farm were pleased to oblige.
“Our tomatoes were such a big hit and we were almost out of them by 11am,” said Mirza Hassan Farm’s Habib Alqanas, known as Abu Ghazi. “We are really happy to be back to share the kingdom’s local produce.”
Brothers Mohamed and Ali Hussain are equally delighted to see their grandfather Alawi Sayed Saeed Mohamed’s farm flourish with new customers.
“Tomato Week definitely drew in more of a crowd than last week and we have been selling quickly of the fruit as well as of broccoli,” said 19-year-old Mohamed who has been working with his grandfather for the past three years. “It’s also great to meet different people from different countries and share our seasonal fruits and vegetables.”
And Lebanese expatriate Luna Rayess enjoys a taste of home every time she visits the Farmers’ Market.
“The Tomato Week is beautiful,” said the 52-year-old who has been coming to the Farmers’ Market every Saturday for the past few years. “I love it because I can find the variety most popular in my country, which we call banadoura jabaliyeh (Heirloom tomatoes).
“I usually come just for the tomatoes and jalapenos. However, this time around, I have so many boxes of groceries that I needed to make another stop to the ATM to get some extra cash!”
The market also impressed first-time visitors Romanian Florin Nistor and Alexandra Fodorean. “I’m a fan of tomatoes,” said Mr Nistor, a 30-year-old physiotherapist who lives in Seef.
“We used to grow different types of tomatoes in our farm back home in Romania, so this is great to see. I was shocked to see even more varieties of tomatoes in Bahrain than we have at home.
“It’s amazing and everything looks good. You can see people from different countries here, many families with their children too, and that is the best type of Farmers’ Market.”
Ms Fodorean was also pleased to see the Covid-19 precautions set in place such as sanitiser points which made the shopper experience safe as well as fun.
The ninth Bahraini Farmers’ Market Festival continues until March 27 – every Saturday from 7am to 1pm.
mai.alkhatib@gulfweekly.com
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