Wine & Country Living

Onion Salesman Todd Richard of Walla Walla Gardeners tells me the business of packing and selling red, yellow, white and sweet onions is brisk this season.

Talk about longevity, Walla Walla Gardeners has been in business for over one hundred years. Can you imagine how many pounds of local produce have passed over their conveyors?

Of course there was a time when everything from wash­ing and packing produce was done by hand, but today conveyors handle the majority of work, and the mule- and horse-driven wagons have been replaced with semi trucks driving across the nation delivering locally grown produce. Recently, a friend returned from New York City to tell me he'd dined at a swank Tribecca café, where featured on their menu was a pile of Walla Walla Sweet Onion rings! Getting back to gardening - I attended an Heirloom Tomato tasting in the gardens of Sunnyside Organic Farm in Walla Walla. Guests were amazed and by the incredible tastes, shapes and colors of the tomatoes.

Before too long, my wine guy opened an '06 bottle of winemaker Mike Neuffer's GraEagle Red Wing Cabernet Sauvignon. At just $26 a bottle, this estate-grown wine, barreled for 18 months, is lush and perfect with salads of all kinds.

That's right - a red wine with lettuce greens, and this is because of the wine's overall lushness. Exhibiting a mouth of fleeting butterscotch, whisked in sweet spice and violets, this cab' is one big, enthralling wine. You might join locals at Nicholas Cole Cellars during a weekday happy hour, from 4-6 p.m., where you can taste Mike Neuffer wines for just $5 a glass. The tasting room is located on Main Street, downtown Walla Walla. Thanks Mike for such a voluptuous cabernet, earning 10 barrels from Wine and Country Living. Here's a recipe using heirloom tomatoes and Walla Walla Sweet Onions to tantalize your taste buds and senses.

Heirloom Tomato Chow Chow

Makes 2 Cups

Method:

In a large pot, add olive oil and all ingredients. Simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool chow to room temperature before serving with cheese and crackers, slath­ered

on grilled chicken, even grilled hot dogs will do.

Contact Judith @ www.chefjudithhenderson.com