On Aug. 15 the Berkeley Jefferson Extension Master Gardeners will once again host a Tomato Fest, celebrating the fleeting wonders of home grown tomatoes. This year’s Tomato Fest will be held at Morgan’s Grove Park just outside Shepherdstown, and will run from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Last year’s Fest featured over 50 varieties of heirloom tomatoes for tasting by the public, most grown by Master Gardeners, and many not commercially available. A Tomato Tasting contest will once again be held, and best of taste winners in each of five categories will be awarded prizes: Reds/Pinks, Yellows/Greens, Cherrys, Romas, and Stripes. Any home grower of tomatoes is welcome to enter a variety please contact Cecily Fritz at the Berkeley County extension office at 304-264-1936 to register entries.

Several educational sessions will be held during the Fest, including growing tomatoes seed-to-seed, how to save seeds, different ways to preserve tomatoes and a demonstration of cooking tomatoes. The Master Gardeners will also be selling home-made tomato food items, including tomato sandwiches, caprese salads, gazpacho and salsa, as well as various home-baked items. Activities for children will include face painting, guess-the-number-of-cherry-tomatoes-in-the-jar, plant your own seedling, and put-your-tomato-face-on photo opportunities. One of the Master Gardeners will also demonstrate how to bend metal conduit to create hoops for “low-tunnels”, which can be covered with cloth to allow one to grow later in the fall and earlier in the spring. These hoops will also be offered for sale at $5.00 a piece.

Please join in this fun, educational and tasty event! For more information contact the Extension Master Gardeners through the Berkeley County Extension office at 304-264-1936, visit our Facebook page at BJEMGA, or the website at berkeley.ext.wvu.edu/master_gardeners/upcomingevents.