Monthly Archives: April 2014

The Letter of Day is O: “O” is for Orange Russian and Opalka Tomatoes

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Orange Russian

Love, love, love this one! Pretty and yummy! I am not exaggerating when I say this is one the finest looking tomatoes I’ve ever had the pleasure to grow. Of course I love anything striped or with splashes of color. 

This is a first bicolor oxheart tomato and it exhibits the best qualities of both types. Tomatoes weigh 8 ozs. or more and are heart-shaped with smooth golden flesh, blushed with rose on the outside, marbled inside with streaks of red. As with most heirlooms, size and shape vary as you can see in the photo.

They are delicious and sweet, somewhat fruity in flavor, and, because it is typical of an oxheart, they are meaty with very few seeds. 

Indeterminate

85 days

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Opalka

Fruits are far richer and more flavorful than most paste tomatoes. A pepper-shaped type with fruits that grow to 4 to 6″ long. Sweet and refreshing, it can be eaten straight off the vine, but is prized for sauces and canning. As with quite a few heirloom paste tomatoes, the foliage is wispy but it produces heavy crops. I’ve had people ask me if there is something wrong but that is the way they grow. Heirloom variety from Poland. 

Indeterminate

75 days

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The Letter of the Day is N: “N” is for Nebraska Wedding and the North Star Bell Pepper

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For those of you who might have gotten the post iwth a red tomato, all I can say is WordPress is fast. I noticed it was the wrong tomato and changed it out to the appropriate yellow pic but apparently not fast enough!

Nebraska Wedding

I know these are yellow…again. We grew these for the first time last year and I was impressed. No cracking, great flavor, decent size. I am beginning ot think I have a an obsession with yellow and gold tomatoes. didn’t set out to do that but when someone asks me my favorites, most of them seem to be that color. In the reds and pinks, my faves are Rose, Mortgage Lifter, Aussie, Willamette, Sweet Treats, Black from Tula and Sub Arctic Plenty to name a few. Ok, so maybe I do like more than the yellows!

An old Great Plains heirloom Produces huge, globe- shaped fruits of a deep orange color, weighing up to 10 oz. each. Vigorous plants yield a heavy, concentrated set of fruit. In the old days The seeds were givento the married couple to help them start their lives and start their farm together.

80 days

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North Star

Extremely early, and ideal for short-season areas. Plants are particularly well adapted to set blocky fruit even under unfavorable conditions. Deep green fruits become bright red at full maturity.

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

 

The Letter of the Day is M: “M” is for Mortgage Lifter and Maules Red Hot, a Cayenne Type of Pepper

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Mortgage Lifter

These long time favorites are also known as Radiator Charlie. They produce good yields of large, smooth, pink-skinned fruits and have few seeds, even in times of drought. Mild and delectable sweet flavor.

I like these a lot, last year we had 1-2 lb. tomatoes. Yummy. The back story on this is very interesting and one of the reasons I like heirloom tomatoes. In a nutshell, during the Depression there was a gentleman who raised these tomato plants and sold them for $1.00, a hefty sum back then, and was able to pay off his $6000 dollar mortgage in 6 years. It is also known as Radiator Charlie due to the fact he owned a radiator shop.

Indeterminate

75-85 days

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Maules Red Hot

Great for Northern areas, these peppers will give you loads of 10” long cayenne type peppers. They mature from green to red with a flavor that is excellent for hot sauces or making dried pepper flakes.

these were a bonus seed that I rec’d from a seed company. Any variety that works well in the north with it;s shorter season is something I want to promote.

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The Letter of the Day is L: “L” is for Lemon Yellow Limmony and Ladybug, a Delightful Cherry Tomato

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Limmony

One of my favorite yellow tomatoes. Much better than Lemon Boy in my opinion. A yellow orange tomato, Limmony is one of the first Russian varieties popularized in the US. An abundant Russian heirloom. Produces 4-5″ tomatoes. Unlike most yellows this one is loaded with lots of luscious, big sweet tangy flavors. 

Indeterminate

85 days

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Ladybug

This one is probably the prettiest and most photogenic of any of the cherry tomatoes I have grown. It also taste wonderful. Crack resistant and widely adapted! You’ll love the ease of growth and the sweet, sweet flavor of this charming new Cherry! Widely adapted to many parts of the country, Ladybug is a delight for Tomato growers everywhere! 

These little 1-ounce fruits are very resistant to cracking, the scourge of many a Cherry Tomato. They are ultra-sweet, with a good solids-to-gel ratio. And they arise by the hundreds on indeterminate plants! 

Indeterminate

65 days

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The Letter of the Day is K: “K” is for the Tomatos, Kellogg’s Breakfast and Kosovo

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Kellogg’s Breakfast

this is one of my daughter’s favorite tomatoes. Lovely, pale-orange fruits are solid and meaty throughout, packed with mild, superb-tasting flesh. A long-season producer of large, beefsteak-type fruits, up to 16 oz., with solid centers that have just a few seeds at the edges. We had 2 pounders one year. This is great tomato for both cooking and eating fresh. Indeterminate, 80-85 days

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Kosovo

This is another one that I love. Big oxheart shaped red tomatoes. Good flavor. This wonderful variety came from a former U.N. worker in Kosovo, who passed it down to Carolyn Male. Huge, deep pink heart-shaped fruit that has a sweet rich flavor and is very meaty while still being juicy. Production is excellent and the tomatoes are simply beautiful, but it is the delectable and intense tomato flavor that really makes this one special. Tomatoes can grow up to 1 pound, with ranges from 10 to 18 ozs. Indeterminate, 75-80 days

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for more information about these tomatoes, go to www.thetomatolady.com

The Letter of the Day is J: “J” is for the Tomato , Jetsetter and the Pepper, Jimmy Nardello,

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Jetsetter
Short season gardeners especially will be happy for this variety that doesn’t sacrifice size or flavor for early maturity. Tomatoes are at least 8 ozs. and often larger with really good, rich flavor. Yields are plentiful on vigorous plants that have lots of disease resistance. VFFNTA  Indeterminate, 64 days

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Jimmy Nardello
I love these peppers, they look fiery hot but they arent.

From the small village of Ruoti in the Basilicata region of southern Italy, this heirloom was brought to the states, and introduced in 1887. jimmy nardello

These are a popular frying pepper.

Growing 20-24″, these plants produce loads of long, thin peppers, up to 10″ long. 

The peppers are delicious and sweet. Cooked in a little olive oil, and grilled or fried, or chopped and used raw in salsas and salads. 

These peppers are perfect for pickling or drying.

 

The Letter of the Day is I: “I” is for Isis Candy (Tomato) and Italian Ice (Tomato)

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Isis Candy

These are great tomatoes and one of our family favorites. although the first time I grew this, I didn’t understand that they were a reddish-orange when ripe so I waited and waited. Finally, I learned that they were supposed to be avmarbled color and that they had a star on the bottom. Very pretty and yummy.

They are a marbled reddish color with a starburst on the underside. Sweet and fruity. Heavy yields of short trusses, in double rows, of 6 to 8 fruits each. Indeterminate, 70-80 days.

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Italian Ice

Sugary sweet and bursting with juicy flavor, ‘Italian Ice’ is a summer picnic treat. Clusters of 1-1 1/2″ snack-sized fruits ripen from green to ivory white, becoming uniquely sweet and mild tasting. 

Chill a bowlful for a satisfying portable snack when the heat of the summer demands a cooling, melt-in-your-mouth treat.

Indeterminate, 65 days

The Letter of the Day is H: “H” is for the Tomato, Hundreds and Thousands and the Pepper, Hungarian Yellow Wax

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Hundreds and Thousands

This tomato is really cool. The tomatoes are a currant size and there lots and lots of them. Hundreds? Yes. Thousands? Not really, but you won’t go short of tomatoes with this variety. 

The sweet, mini-cherry fruit are very flavorful and early and perfect for putting into a salad or popping into your mouth.

Plant with petunias, alyssum and lobelia for pretty hanging baskets. 

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Hungarian Yellow Wax

Spicy, fairly hot, banana shaped fruits, 6″ long and 1-1/2″ across – perfect for pickling. Matures from light yellow to bright red. Best hot pepper for cooler climates. Ever-bearing plants are 16 to 24″ tall, strong, uprightImage

The Letter of the Day is G; “G” is for the Tomato, Green Grape and the Pepper, Giant Szegedi

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Green Tomatoes and White Peppers

Green Grap

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My description on my website: These are the first, fully ripened green cherry tomato. I adore these. Fruits are delicious, juicy and sweet and burst in your mouth. They turn a lovely golden green when ripe and are wonderful straight from the vine. Mix with Sweet Million and Sungold cherry tomatoes for a rainbow infused salad. Use for a large container planting on your deck.

Determinate, 70 days

My Notes: So many people have no idea what they are missing when they bypass these little ping pong sized beauties in favor of a more traditionally colored cherry tomato. Pop them in in your mouth and they will surprise you with a flood of sweetness. Wait until they are a golden green. The plant is well behaved and will do well in a large pot. Aunt Ruby’s German Green is another tomato that wows with it’s sweet, winey taste and it can get pretty big.

Giant Szegedi

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My description on my website: Originally from Hungary, this variety is very hard to find in the United States.

Short, fairly compact plants produce good yields of very crisp, thick walled, very sweet peppers that average 4 inches long.

Fruits start out white and slowly turn yellow, then orange, and finally red at maturity. Fruits hold well on the vine and it is very easy to pick white, yellow, orange and red peppers at each picking without any stage sacrificing taste or crispness.

They are wonderful on vegetable trays, in salads, or in cooking. This variety does very well in cooler regions of the country where other pepper varieties struggle.

My Notes: I love the white peppers and em excited to try this one. I’ve grown Albino Bullnose before and it is apleasure watching it turn from white to red on the same plant. White Lakes is also a white/cream pepper.

The Letter of the Day is F: “F” is for Tomatoes, Fiorintino (Costoluto) and Fireworks

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Fiorintino

tomato-fiorintino

My description on my website: A fantastic old Tuscan Heirloom variety with dark red skin and juicy delicious flesh. Shaped slightly flattened with fluted shoulders. Fruits are typically about 8 ounces, with a smoother shape than the heavily ribbed Costoluto Genovese. The flavor is high in sugar with excellent acid, making for outstanding taste that’s wonderful fresh or made into sauces. Fusarium resistant too!

My Notes: These were prolific and most were of a medium size. The taste was pretty good too. I liked to cut their tops off and stuff them with chicken salad. The fluted edges really stood out. Great for cooking and salsa.

Indeterminate, 80 days

Fireworks


My description on my website: This is one of the largest, earliest red slicing tomatoes available, and it has excellent flavor. Fireworks is an exceptional variety. Its bright red fruit are 6 to 8 ozs., round with a pointed tip, and borne quite heavily on vigorous plants.

My Notes: One of the earlies that is an indeterminate and a larger tomato which is unusual for an early tomato. Jetsetter and Siletz are all a good size. I will be growing it in my garden for myself this year. I had so many customers who raved about it’s size and taste that I need to see it for myself!

Indeterminate, 60 days