You Say Tomato
WWFB: Icelanders Also Say Tomato Edition
How d’ya like them tomatoes?
The scene: Friðheimar, Iceland. August. You’ve grown weary of chasing waterfalls. You’re looking for something a little different. A little more…yellow.
When we learned that there was a tomato greenhouse in Iceland that produces nearly 1 ton of tomatoes per day AND throws a mean tomato-themed lunch buffet AND puts on the occasional horse show, we had to check it out. Friðheimar did not disappoint! The farm is situated about an hour and a half east of Reykjavík, so if you visit you’ll either need to rent a car or join a pre-arranged tour.
The photos don’t do this place justice. I’ve never seen such high-tech greenhouses! The yellow lighting gave the place a surreal vibe, and the air was scented with unripe tomato. Friendly bees and lovely flowers everywhere…
Below: The sign welcoming us to Friðheimar. Alas, the timing didn’t work out for us to catch a horse show.
This is the exterior of one of the greenhouses. Somehow they keep those sunflowers alive outdoors, despite the conspicuous lack of natural sunlight.
It takes a lot of artificial light to grow 20% of Iceland’s tomato crop! So. Much. Yellow.
And so much tech! The lights and irrigation systems are automated and can be controlled remotely via smartphone by the owners.
How cool is this…a picking chair on rails! I need one with a highly complex rail system to allow me to slide to all of my haphazardly planted tomatoes and raspberries.
Here is Gentleman Farmer N checking out the crops. We grow tomatoes in our community garden plot, but our approach is considerably less high-tech…
Here is a view of the dining room with the crops in the background…
Bees! Dutch bees! Imported from Holland, each bee can pollinate up to 2,000 flowers per day. #busybees
Sweet yellow Black-Eyed Susan vines…
Each table is equipped with the usual salt, pepper, flatware, and menus, plus your own personal basil plant with cute little herb shears to cut fresh basil into your tomato soup!
Perhaps our favorite dish of the lunch was the cheesecake topped with a jam made of green tomatoes, cinnamon, and lime, served in an adorable terra cotta pot and saucer. That flower! chef’s kiss
VERDICT: 10/10 Come for the tomatoes. Stay for the sweet jaundiced glow you’ll get in all your selfies. And don’t forget to pick up a jar of cinnamon lime green tomato jam so you can relive the magic back home. We brought home two jars and made a cheesecake to serve it on, and while it was damn tasty, we couldn’t quite recapture the magnificence of that little potted cheesecake served under warm yellow lights in Iceland…