[catciao]

Maybe it's because I didn't get my tomato plants in the ground soon enough but I have NO tomatoes. I have long, leafy vines that I keep tied up so as not to fall over, but no tomatoes to go with my abundance of basil. Am I out of luck?

[cape chef]

When did you plant them?

Are they getting at least six hours of sunlight a day?

Do you keep them nice and moist?

Any little unwelcome buggies hanging around?

[phoebe]

I'm so sorry! When did you plant them? Are they all the same variety? Have there been any flowers? And how's the weather there now? If you have flowers and if it will still be sunny and warm for awhile, I would think that you might still get some. But I am NOOOO expert. Oh, one more thing. Are you fertilizing a lot? Apparently fertilizer encourages vegetative growth but could keep fruit production down.

Best of luck!

[sammiemom]

That's a shame. Maybe it was the hot dry weather.

We are in Baltimore and planted ours very early when we had the first warm spell. People said we were crazy.

We had tons but now they are mostly over.

Our golden retriever and the squirrels have enjoyed them too.

Sue

[catciao]

Well, given that Sue planted hers earlier I'm sure my lack of tomatoes was due to both the dry weather and timing. I'll try again next year. In the meantime, I went to our farmer's market this morning and bought some gorgeous, ripe, red tomatoes. BTW, are you supposed to cut back your vines or just keep pinning them up?

[mofo1]

I wish I could share my bounty with you. I have 25 lbs. of plum tomatoes to share. I'm just planning to make an assload of sauce.

[catciao]

Mofo1,

Well if you can't share your tomatoes will you share your sauce recipe?

[kuan]

I started mine indoors this year. Was getting tomatoes by late June... IN MINNESOTA! Not bad considering that we had snowfall in May.

Kuan

[mofo1]

Well Cat, I'll try,but tomato sauce is one of those things that I just do, rather than use a recipe.

1. Whole bunch of plum tomats from friend.

2. Leaves from one half basil plant. Other half divvied up at farmers market. A lady and I were both eye-balling the basil and I suggested we go halves on it as it was the last bit available. We both got what we wanted.

3. Handful of oregano from garden.

4. 1 Texas 1015 onion peeled and sorta chopped.

5. 1 head some kinda red garlic I bought from farmers market. Cloves separated, peeled, and smashed. (NOT PRESSED!!!)

6. SOME OF EACH: parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. (sounds like a song.) These also all from garden.

7. Possibly some sugar, but I doubt it. And of course salt and pepper.

8. The most important part is: Are you ready??? TIME!!!!

Slow,slow, slow simmer for a good long time to break everything down. I like to keep the lid on the pot for the vast majority of the time to allow everything to come together and then take it off to reduce for the last hour or so.

Not much of a recipe, I know, but it is how I was taught by my Great-Grandmother Rose Niccolini. God rest her soul.

[mofo1]

I would like to report that after around 8 hrs of cooking, my 6 yr. old daughter proclaimed my sauce "DELICIOUS." I don't care who else tells me they like my food. Be they kings or presidents or movers and shakers: When you get a compliment from your little girl, the world is good.

[mofo1]

This is hokey as ****. but if you take a little bit of knowledge and combine it with respect of your ingredients, and love of your both your craft and the people you're cooking for, you cannot go wrong.

[catciao]

Eeekkk! Kaun, snowfall in May

I couldn't agree with you more Mofo. Thanks for your recipe, I'm off to the farmer's market to get some tomatoes. I have way too much basil in my garden so it's going to be a sauce and pesto making morning.

BTW-my daughter loves pasta and sauce, too. Although, it's one of the few things that I can get her to eat!