A Very Nice Article on Tomatoes: The Skinny on…Tomatoes
Reply
Category Archives: cooking
Spicy Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks
this would go really nicely with a fresh tomato salad!
Bell Pepper Deliciousness
Bruschetta | The Pioneer Woman Cooks | Ree Drummond
How My Vegetable Garden is Growing
Here are some pictures of my tomatoes, squash and peppers among other things.
These are my compari tomatoes given to me by a customer. Yummy.
A zucchini squash called Eight Ball Forty Niner, both are perfect for pots.
Unripe, Sweet Carernos and Speckled Roman, both striped tomatoes
This is a Giant Marconi that isn’t so giant…yet!
This is Sun Sugar, a golden cherry tomato and Juliet, a grape shaped cherry. These are the first on the plants to ripen. The Sun Suagars are supposed to give Sungolds a run for their money. We will see. The Juliets are terrific, they have a “tomaotey” taste and thicked skin than most other cherries, which makes for a delightful pop when you bite into it. It also means they don’t split their skins when it rains.
My pride and joy, a Hale’s cantaloupe. It’s about the size of a football now and started veining. The first one I gott fruit from. I’m pretty sure it’s because it’s in the greenhouse where is hotter than blazes. That’s also why, there is something thing attacking it besides powdery mildew. Looks like rust. I must do some research on what the problem is.
The Letter of the Day is F: “F” is for Tomatoes, Fiorintino (Costoluto) and Fireworks
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
Tomato Terms: What Does It Mean When I Say…Early, Main and Late Season?
Siberia This might be the earliest tomato ever – only 7 weeks from transplanting to table. Capable of setting fruits at 38 F on sturdy dark green plants. The fruits are bright red, 3 to 5 oz. and bunch in clusters. Also good for a patio. Determinate, 48 days
Along with these words usually comes a range of days in which you can expect to start eating tomatoes. (The days are from transplanting not sowing the seed).
Where I live, it can be colder in some areas than others. For instance, Deer Park, is about 10-15 miles north from Spokane. It has predictably colder weather and earlier frosts than we do. Their growing season is a lot shorter than ours and we aren’t geographically that far away. Cheney is colder plus they always have a lot of wind. Different growing conditions is a small area.
After reading my descriptions (www.thetomatolady.com) on my tomatoes or peppers, one of the things my customers ask is if it really will be ripe in 45 days or 60 days. I have to be honest with them and say I can’t give a definitive answer. There are so many variables involved in growing a garden. Weather, soil temps, amount of watering and fertilizing, where did they site the plant and variety.
The biggest one is the weather, which we have no control over. Last June, it seemed like it rained avery day and was cold. That will keep plants sitting there, in the ground, just waiting. (The only good thing about that is the plant is working on root development so that when it gets warm they have a good foundation to shoot up). I think I remember having a light frost in early June.
I would like to change my descriptions to early, mid, late and really late. It’s true that a Siberia or a Fourth of July will produce fruit before a late season variety such as Orange Russian or a Gold Medal.
Gold Medal These are fabulous, reminiscent of Big Rainbow. A Ben Quisenberry tomato. Wonderful, 1-1/2 lb., yellow and red bi-color beefsteak tomato with pink marbeling in blossom end, thin skin and luscious sweet, well-balanced flavors. Indeterminate, 85 days
That being said, I have seen some early varieties (48-60 day) that are only about 2 weeks earlier than a 70-75 day tomato. There again it depends on a lot of variables.
It must be nice in the South where have you a longer growing season, if you have to wait longer to get them into the ground it’s ok because you won’t get a frost until November.
There are many ways you can extend your season. Some years if you wait until all signs of frost are gone you won’t have any tomatoes. At some point you have to get them into the ground. Especially if you live in an area the gets an early fall frost.
I will discuss some ways in later posts
One Way to Use Tomatoes – Spiced Tomato Jam
Spiced Tomato Jam
1 1/4 pounds ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves
1 pckge powdered pecton or Sure Jell
4 1/2 c sugar
Wash firm ripe tomatoes. Scald, peel and chop. Puree in blender. Measure 3 cups of pureed tomatoes into a large saucepan. Add lemon juice, the ground spices and pectin.
Over high heat, bring mixture to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Add sugar all at once, keep stirring and bring back to a rolling boil (a boil that can’t be stirred down). Boil for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Skim off foam with a metal spoon. Pour jam into jars, leaving 1/4 inch head room. Wipe the lip clean and tighten lids. Process how you would like to. Water bath would work well.
Makes about 5 half pint jars.
The recipe comes from Tzena Scarborough in Spokane Valley WA. She writes,” This is a Scarborough family favorite when tomatoes were in abundance in their garden. Mom found this recipe in the Sure Jell package.”
Link
Making and Canning Pasta Sauce
This is a nice basic recipe for making pasta sauce. Soon, we will have a glut of tomatoes on our hands and will need ways to preserve them.
Notes From The Tomato Lady 