Fried green tomatoes, ugly tomatoes, giant tomatoes: Wichita’s Tomato Fest is Saturday

The end of July in Kansas is usually the prime time for fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes.

And in Wichita, summer’s most fabulous fruit will be celebrated on Saturday at the second annual Tomato Fest at the Kansas Grown Farmers Market, 7001 W. 21st St. North.

The event, which happens from 7 a.m. to noon, will feature tomato tastings, tomato cooking demos and a tomato mascot roaming the grounds.

There will also be fried green tomatoes.

Tomato Fest had its first run last summer, when a group led by Kansas Grown board vice president Tricia Holmes was looking for a replacement for Tomato Day, an annual event that had been “fizzling out,” said Holmes, also the founder of the business Holmes-Made Salsa.

“We loved the event and thought that if we just dropped it, vendors were going to wonder what happened to their July sales,” she said.

Last year’s overhauled tomato event was a big hit and drew the season’s largest crowd — between 6,000 and 7,000 people, Holmes said.

Saturday’s second Tomato Fest will feature several attractions for people who like to eat and cook with tomatoes.

Two food trucks will be on site, and each will be serving a tomato-centric dish. LoLo’s Crepes will have a tomato crepe on the menu, and Ken N Barbie’z Rolling Diner will be offering fried green tomatoes.

Chef Allie from Allie’s Farm Fresh Kitchen will put on a tomato cooking demonstration and will share a few of her favorite tomato recipes. She’ll also hand out samples.

Samples also will be available from Kansas Grown vendors, who will be offering bites of their favorite family tomato recipes, including tomato beer bread, bruschetta and more.

A tomato mascot also will be roaming the crowd, passing out grape and cherry tomatoes that attendees can pop in their mouths. Last year, Homles said, the mascot handed out more than 30 pounds of tomatoes.

Also, kid visitors will be able to plant and take home their own tomato plants at an event sponsored by Johnson’s Garden Centers.

This summer has been a bit of a tough one for some tomato growers in Wichita, Holmes said, and scorching temperatures are likely to blame. Those with questions about growing tomatoes also can consult with experts during Tomato Fest.

This story was originally published July 25, 2018 at 11:35 AM.