Monthly Archives: April 2014

The Letter of the Day is Y: “Y” is for the Tomato Yummy and Yellow Pear

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Yummy

This is a paste tomato that we mistakenly grew one year. 

Apparently there was an error in seeds we got from a supplier and this is what came up. Fortunately, it was sweet and delicious and very prolific too. We picked bunches and bunches of these all season long. I will definitely grow them again. 

We were able to save seed from this. 

Indeterminate

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Yellow Pear

Kids love these little guys!

An heirloom, they grow on tall, rangy plants and bear in heavy clusters of 1 ¾ inch sized fruits. 

Mild flavored, sweet, perfect for salads or straight from the vine. 

Indeterminate

Mid-season

Mid-season

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The Letter of the Day is X: “X: is for Xtra Large Tomato Varieties

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My Love’s Pink Oxheart

Vigorous vine produces big bunches of huge pink tomatoes which are oxheart shaped, meaty, and have fantastic flavor. They have a good balance of sweet and acid. The plant is unlike otheroxheart tomatoes, it has sturday foliage, not wispy like some oxhearts. This tomato has several large, large fruits that weren’t yet ripe. I was hoping to take them to the fair last year but they didn’t turn until several days right after the fair. I would have won the largest with one of them, it topped out at over 3 pounds!

Indeterminate

Mid-season

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Rose

I won the largest tomato of the 2011 Spokane County Fair with this one.

A large leafy heirloom that produces deep, rose-pink, 3″, meaty globes with a taste that rivals those varieties heralded most for their luscious taste.

Seed is from a doctor in PA who got it from one of her Amish patients.

Indeterminate

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Delicious

A favorite

An excellent slicer, with most fruits over 1 pound – many 2 to 3 pounds – and still holds the world record of 7+ pounds for a single fruit! Not in our neck of the woods, probably somewhere south where they have lot sof heat and a way longer growing season.

Produces smooth and solid fruits that seldom crack, with small cavities, nearly solid meat, and excellent flavor.

Developed from Beefsteak after 13 years of careful selection.

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Rocky

A favorite despite the late maturation date. We had loads of them for canning in September.

Simply amazing! These were enormous tomatoes in my garden. Some were so big, you could have used 3 or 4 in one quart jar and a joy to slip the skins for canning.

Good producer of 2 x 3-inch (and bigger), 1 lb., red, paste tomatoes.

Sweet, tangy, meaty fruit. One of the best flavored sauce tomatoes.

Indeterminate

Late season

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The Letter of the Day is W: “W” is for the Tomato, Willamette and the Pepper, White Lakes

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Willamette

The second picture is of the grand prize I won at the Spokane County Fair 2013. I might also add that these are some of the sweetest early tomatoes I’ve eaten and they grew well in a large pot.

Becoming a Northwest heirloom, Willamette was developed at Oregon State University by the late Dr. Tex Frazier in the 1950’s. This very dependable ripener is one of OSU’s first early determinate tomatoes. It’s medium in size with a mild, low acid flavor. 

Determinate

Early

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White Lakes

Very generous producer of dainty, somewhat pointed peppers. The young fruits take on an ivory or cream color very early, eventually ripening to a stunning red-orange. Originally a Russian variety deserving of much wider recognition. Delicious, productive, and beautiful.White peppers are lovely in a mixed salad.

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The Letter of the Day is V: “V” is for Vintage Wine a Tomato

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Vintage Wine

A Personal Favorite! Excellent tomato! One of the very few pastel-hued tomatoes. A favorite of my customers, with attractive, 1lb., pale pink/red fruits set off by golden stripes. Elegant, sweet and tasty, with a nice, mild flavor. This tomato is truly unique. Those are from my garden.

Indeterminate

Mid-season

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The Letter fo the Day is U: “U” is for the Tomato, Umberto

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(also known as King Humbert) Very old Italian heirloom, listed by the renowned French seedhouse Vilmorin-Andrieux in 1885. Named after King Umberto I, King of Italy in the late 19th century. 

The plants produce unbelievable harvests of small, pear-shaped fruits. These meaty morsels have a nice balance of sweet and tart, with full Old World tomato flavor. Great for paste, sauce or for drying under the late summer sun!

Indeterminate

Mid-season

The Letter of the Day T: “T” is for the Tomato, Tumbler and the Pepper, Tabasco

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Tumbler

Specially bred for hanging baskets. Bushy plants look fantastic mixed with lobelia and alyssum. Sweet, bright red fruits. We sell them in the small pots and as baskets. Perfect for someone who wants to hang it on their balcony or patio. Determinate, early

This is a picture of one I had hanging on my patio. It is planted with flowers. Who says veggies can’t be pretty?

tumbler-for web

Tabasco- HOT

Originally from Mexico—and taking its name from a Mexican state—this small, very hot pepper’s a favorite in the South and East, where the plants can grow tall and are covered with the petite light yellow-green to red fruits. Best known as the pepper that lends the kick to the namesake hot sauce from Avery Island, Louisiana.TOBASCO

The Letter of the Day is S: “S” is for the Tomato, Super Snow White and the Pepper, Sweet Banana

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Super Snow White

A favorite. This was the most prolific tomato I have grown in a long time. The plant was enormous and the tomatoes numerous. Mild and sweet, bearing 2 oz., ivory-colored cherry tomatoes, larger than Snow White, but similar in taste. They ripen to a bit larger than ping pong balls. Indeterminate, md-season

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Sweet Banana

SWEET An AAS Bronze Medal winner for 1941 and still extremely popular. Large, pointed fruits measure 6-7” long and 1½” across. The mild yellow peppers ultimately turn brilliant red. Great for pickling. I also like to use this for stuffing with cream cheese. Very, very prolific.

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The Letter of the Day is R: “R” is for Rocky and Roman Candle, Both Paste Tomatoes

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Rocky

A favorite despite the late maturation date. We had loads of them for canning in September.

Simply amazing! These were enormous tomatoes in my garden. Some were so big, you could have used 3 or 4 in one quart jar and a joy to slip the skins for canning. Good producer of 2 x 3-inch, 1 lb., red, paste tomatoes. Sweet, tangy, meaty fruit. One of the best flavored sauce tomatoes. Indeterminate, late season but worth the wait. 

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Roman Candle

Beautiful, neon yellow banana-shaped fruits are bursting with intense sweetness and flavor. Wonderful new tomato that originated as a ‘sport’ from Mr. John Swenson’s Speckled Roman. The Roman Candle often has green shoulders and sometimes stripes. A new favorite of market growers that is quite colorful. Indeterminate, mid-season

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The Letter of the Day is Q: “Q” is for Quiz

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Q is a tough one. I have had tomatoes named Golden Queen and White Queen. But I am not offering them this year, so I put my thinking cap and decided to have a short quiz to see if you are learning anything.

!. What is the url for my website?

2. What is the tomato I showcased for the letter “C”?

3. What pepper did I showcase for the letter “J”?

No prizes or anything, just wanted to know if this blog has been useful to you. I am hoping you learned that there are more tomatoes out than the early girl and roma!

The picture below is a plate of different colored tomatoes that I made for a dinner of friends. The color is not the best, I took it along time ago. it gives you an idea of what you can do with all those tomatoes. I usually adorn with feta cheese, fresh chopped basil, a basic vinagrette, chopped kalamata olives and thinly sliced red onions.

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The Letter of the Day is P: “P” is for the Tomato, Paul Robeson and the Pepper, Purple Beauty

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Paul Robeson

Tomato seeds for this Russian heirloom were made available by Marina Danilenko, a Moscow seeds woman. This favorite heirloom tomato was named after the operatic artist who won acclaim as an advocate of equal rights for Blacks. His artistry was admired world-wide, especially in the Soviet Union. 

This “black” beefsteak tomato is slightly flattened, round, and grows to 4-inches. It’s a deep, rich dusky, dark-red, with dark-green shoulders, and red flesh in it’s center. Very flavorful fruits with luscious, earthy, exotic flavors and good acid/sweet balance.This tomato variety originates from Siberia and sets fruits at lower temps, it is an excellent choice for cooler growing regions.

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Purple Beauty Sweet Bell Pepper

 Absolutely stunning purple bell pepper. Large 4-lobed, thick-walled fruits borne on sturdy compact plants. Tender crisp texture, mild sweet flavor. Holds in the purple stage for some time before ripening to a radiant red.

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For more information on these and other varities, check out my website atwww.thetomatolady.com