Tomatoes in the News

• California Farm Bureau Rains help, but could be 'too little, too late'California Farm BureauIn the southern San Joaquin Valley, which did not receive as much precipitation as Northern California, Bob Wilson, a diversified grower in Kings County, said his tomato planting is "still pretty much on schedule," with three-quarters of his crop ...
• Ag leaders optimistic despite challengesGustine Press-Standard... hay continues to be a West Side staple commodity and the diversity of row crops ranges from broccoli and cauliflower to lima beans and tomatoes. Water issues are clouding this year's prospects, however. The Central California Irrigation District is ...and more »
• ConAgra Completes Del Monte DealFood Product DesignConAgra Foods, Inc., has completed its acquisition of Toronto-based Del Monte Canada, Inc., a leading provider and marketer of packaged fruits, fruit snacks and vegetables in Canada, from an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners.ConAgra Foods Completes Acquisition of Del Monte Canada from an Affiliate of ...MarketWatch (press release)ConAgra Foods completes acquisitionCBS Newsall 19 news articles »
• Tomatoes Ripe With Powerful Health BenefitsFood Product DesignResearchers from the National Center for Food Safety & Technology, Illinois Institute of Technology and ConAgra Foods Inc. examined current research to discover the role tomato products play in health and disease risk reduction. ...Tomatoes Pack A Nutritious Punch, Study FindsBETTER Health Researchall 3 news articles »
• Local companies face cap-and-trade deadlineFresno Business JournalEmitting more than 53000 metric tons of pollutants in 2008, the processing plant of Los Gatos Tomato Products in Huron will also be looking into allowances or offsets to fulfill its share of the emissions cap. Producing around 265 million pounds of ...
• California Farmers Feel PainTruth about Trade & TechnologyFIVE POINTS, Calif.—Sharp cutbacks in water for farmers threaten to trigger renewed layoffs in a large swath of California, eating into the state's $40 billion-a-year agriculture industry and damping its nascent economic recovery.and more »
• California Farm Bureau Commentary: Farm Bureau outlines programs key to farmers, ranchersCalifornia Farm BureauBy Rayne Pegg Programs in the US Department of Agriculture budget that benefit California farmers and ranchers include those aimed at fighting specific pests, such as Asian Citrus Psyllid. Programs in the US Department of Agriculture budget that ...
• Fresno Bee Smelt Supreme Court ruling goes against farmersSan Francisco Chronicle(10-31) 15:43 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- The US Supreme Court denied an appeal today by Central California farmers who claimed the federal government lacks constitutional authority to protect the imperiled delta smelt by limiting north-to-south water ...Supreme Court denies California farmers as Delta smelt swims onWestern Farm Pressall 47 news articles »
• Western Farm Press California tomato processors to contract for 12.7 million tonsWestern Farm PressAs of January, California tomato processors reported plans to sign 2012 contracts totaling 12.7 million tons of processing tomatoes. Processors estimate the contracted production for 2012 will come from 266000 acres producing an average yield of 47.74 ...

Meatball Minestrone

From Anne Grandjean, Director, Santa Clarita Valley School Food Service Agency

Add a piece of garlic bread and kids are good to go all day with this vitamin-rich and hearty soup.

• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed
  
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
  
• 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
  
• 1 egg
  
• Salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
  
• 7 cups water
  
• 7 beef bouillon cubes
  
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can whole tomatoes, mashed with a spoon
  
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can kidney beans
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  
• 1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried basil leaves
  
• 1 cup sliced carrots
  
• 1 cup sliced celery
  
• 1 cup uncooked rotelli pasta (4 ounces)
  
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Squeeze as much moisture as possible from spinach. Mix together with beef, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, and pepper. Shape into 1-inch balls. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until very hot. Add a few meatballs and brown on all sides. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside to drain on paper towels. Repeat till all are browned.

Remove excess oil and add onion to Dutch oven; cook until opaque. Stir in water, bouillon cubes, tomatoes, beans, oregano, and basil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add carrots and celery; cover and simmer for 10 minutes more. Stir in pasta; cover and simmer until done, about 10 minutes. Add meatballs and heat through, about 5 minutes. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 12

Nutrition facts per serving: 240 cal (33% cal. from fat), 9g total fat (2.5g sat fat, 4g mono, 1g poly), 35mg chol., 740mg sodium, 22g carbo., 5g fiber, 18g pro. Daily Values: 80% vit. A, 20% vit. C, 6% calcium, 15% iron, 12% potassium.