Downtown L.A. tomato party

You say tomato, the artists/activists over at Island of L.A. say Love Apples, a nod to the South American tradition that they're supposed aphrodisiacs.

In keeping with such good vibes, in early July, Islands planted 72 of them, from roma to sweet cherry and beyond, across 12 of the city’s traffic islands in a playful attempt to get Angelenos pondering urban farming of the future. (check out arts writer Lynell George’s piece on Islands founder Ari Kletzky).

After a little back and forth with City Hall, the experiment flourished, and this Sunday all comers are invited to sample the harvest at Salsa Salsa — a four-hour, free salsa-making, salsa-dancing soiree, in conjunction with fellow food pranksters Fallen Fruit and downtown’s sustainably minded salon Farmlab.

--Mindy Farabee

Photo: Susan LaTempa