Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes!!!!

Pete · #1 07-29-2003, 05:04 PM

So this year, Wanda and I didn't have room for a "garden" but that didn't stop me completely. I commandered a portion of Wanda's flower bed for an herb garden, which is coming along nicely. But the thing I am really excited about are my tomatoes. I planted them alongside our garage, where some really heinous evergreens were growing. I planted 2 Yellow Brandywines, 2 Green Zebra Stripes, 1 Black Krim and 1 Black from Tula (all heirlooms). I wasn't sure how well they would do, but they are loaded!!! I can't wait for them to ripen!!! These, along with the 4 plants my MIL gave me (just standard hybrids) I am going to be in tomato heaven!!! BLTs for breakfast, lunch and dinner!!!

phoebe · #2 07-31-2003, 02:16 PM

I'm with you Pete.

Though I'm not crazy about summer or hot weather in general, home-grown tomatoes more than make up for it.
When you say you don't have room, what about containers? I'm in a rental house with limited bedding space (mostly taken up with tomato plants at the moment

), so I depend on 15 gal. containers in order to try as many varieties as I can along with some peppers. Other than my really bad tendency to overwater, they're all doing fine.
And I just harvested enough for a multi-colored (green, orange, yellow, purple and red) pasta sauce: Stupice, Druzba, Green Zebra, Cherokee Purple, Lemon Boy, Caro Rich, Brandywine (Sudduth), and First Lady. Talk about heaven!

Pete · #3 07-31-2003, 04:51 PM

I should clarify myself; I don't have room for a large, full-blown garden with cukes, melons, corn, broc. lettuce, etc. but as I said, I have found little nooks & crannies to plant a thing or two in. As a side note, we just got some serious storms last night and tonight. The tomato plants look pretty beaten down. Have to go out and re-stake some of them. A couple of the heavier branches got broken, hopefully I can nurse them along until the fruit ripens!

phoebe · #4 07-31-2003, 05:16 PM

Jeez! I hate it when branches with fruit get bent or break. It's so frustrating. Out here it's usually due to some night-roaming critter (or clumsy, day-roaming Phoebe

). I've tried everything short of masking tape. How are you nursing the broken ones? I tried re-staking a Lemon Boy with 3 huge, but unripened tomatoes, straightening out the bent branch so it almost looked normal. But the branch withered before the fruit could ripen.

Pete · #5 07-31-2003, 05:38 PM

I just re-staked the best I could, hit the area with some plant food and a fungicide to keep the baddies away. Luckily other branches survived, I just hate losing any tomatoes.

wizcat3 · #6 07-31-2003, 07:47 PM

This is the third time I posted a reply. I Keep Losing it !!!!!!
Jim is working on it for me!! Check out "Jerry Baker the Master Gardner" He will really help u with the Criters. His remedies Really Do Work. When I finally figure this replly thing out I will tell u why!!!!

cape chef · #7 07-31-2003, 08:08 PM

I'm just now getting flowers on my tomatoes.

A quick note about re-staking,after the roots have formed (there very tender)it is best to use a wrap aroung chicken wire frame because you don't want to "stab" the roots.

BLT for breakfast Yum,eat them over the sink so you don't puddle your floor with ripe tomato juice

Pete · #8 07-31-2003, 08:58 PM

I usually eat them standing on the deck, with a cold beer in the other hand, to keep that from happening. Of course for breakfast, no beer...Bloody Mary's instead!!!!

star · #9 08-09-2003, 10:12 PM

HI Pete

My tomatoes are starting to ripen to
we had a one whith are diner tonight it was sooooooo
good

and thare nothing better then growin them you self

there are a few green one that i tock of the vine for cook....
I love green fryed tomato whith my cornbread and fryed chicken

but I*'ve got way over 20 tomatoes plants and thay have a lot of on them

so i think i be making so salsa this year .......

Nicko · #10 09-02-2003, 07:13 PM

This year was the first year I planted tomatoes and I did Plum and had a great crop. I did not realize how much they would take over the whole garden area I had set aside. I actually ended up moving a bunch of herbs because they were over taken by the tomatoes.

It was funny because we ended up giving a bunch of them away and making dried tomatoes out of the rest.

kthull · #11 09-02-2003, 10:47 PM

This is the first year I've seriously cut back. I've had up to 18 plants at one time and this year I only have 6. Let me tell you, less is more. I easily have as many, if not more, healthy juicy tomatoes this year...and that's after losing about one third to the **** ground squirrels and bunnies.

My favorites are making salsa, tomato-mozzarella salad and just tossing with garlic/oil/basil on pasta.

Tried the dried this time and was not happy with them. They were real sour tasting...I've done it before with the little rocks you buy from the grocery store and THOSE turned out. I guess fresh is best eaten fresh.

Pete · #12 09-03-2003, 08:29 AM

So, I have been picking tomatoes like crazy for the last few weeks. All the heirlooms have been ripening like crazy and my regular reds & plum tomatoes are just starting to ripen. Have been eating a lot of BLTs and making tons of 3 colored pico de gallo to eat with tortilla chips. Am planning on canning a couple of jars of salsa, drying seeds for next year, and maybe trying to make my own Sundried Tomatoes.

Athenaeus · #13 09-06-2003, 05:54 PM

So, you are experiencing the 'Tomato follie" Pete?

Lovely!

This year in Santorini the production of the tomatoes was rised. In Santorini they sundry them after passing them through a string and they hund them over their doors

The whole island was decorated by those strange wreaths

Mezzaluna · #14 09-06-2003, 08:30 PM

I attended a cooking demo in a department store today, sponsored by All-Clad. A great local chef demonstrated a tomato soup with olive oil-poached shrimp. It was simple and sooooo good! I like that he simmered the rough-chopped tomatoes with the skins on (I feel they have lots of good flavor), then chinoised the soup. Wow. I stopped on the way home and could only get the Holland stem tomatoes, grape tomatoes and romas, but they'll do. He used heirlooms too, although I have forgotten which- they were a blend of red, blood-red and yellow. Mmm.

One summer when I was still living with my parents, we had a bumper crop of tomatoes. I made cioppino, pasta sauce, ratatouille and lots of Greek country salads. That was a happy summer!

Pete · #15 09-08-2003, 09:29 AM

One of my favorite tomato soups is a Grilled Tomato soup I make. I start off by charring the skins of the tomatoes (not completely black all over but about 60% blackened). Meanwhile I sweat onion, garlic, and a little celery in olive oil. When tender, I add the tomatoes, just cut in half, skins and all and add about 1-2 cups water. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until vegetables are tender and tomatoes have fallen apart. Add some fresh herbs (I use a combination of thyme and basil or thyme and rosemary depending on my mood or even add some jalapenos to the sweating vegetables and cilantro for a mexican twist) simmer a few minutes longer then I puree in a blender. I strain through a larger holed china cap for this soup. I like the more rustic texture and it allows some of the charred skin to come through adding to the flavor. The great thing about this soup is it is great either hot or cold.