Palmetto Tasty Tomato Festival

We celebrated the tomato at the 11th annual Palmetto Tasty Tomato Festival in Columbia, South Carolina.

Tables of yummy tomatoes donated by local farms were out available for tasting.

Handy salt and pepper shakers were on hand too.

The heirlooms above were my favorites! 

Green are crunchy but they have a fantastic flavor.

Vendors were focused on sustainability, local produce and growing your own tasty goodies.

There were also local artisans seller their creations.

Most treats available were tomato forward. This unique menu item was tomato basil sorbet. I have mixed feelings about this! While delicious, followed with some heat, it felt very strange to eat as a frozen dish.

Falafel had been on my mind lately so I did end up with a delicious wrap from The Falafel King. It was perfection!

A variety of local music acts performed which is always my favorite aspect of a festival!

The Randy Lucas Trio is a bluegrass group but they also played a little gypsy jazz for the crowd that day.

Slim Pickens was a lot of fun with their rock style.

Tony Opus has a great sound, tons of charisma and is quite talented with the instruments.

Tyne Angela Freeman has an amazing jazz voice that I loved! She even sang Valerie. I think Amy Winehouse would have appreciated her rendition of the song.

So the festival was very enjoyable even with the heat and humidity of July.

Have a marvelous day/evening (wherever you are on the clock)! ~Val