Tomato Pictures 2014

bobbi-j said:

I plan on it. Is there a secret to it? I've never saved seeds before.

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I read how you are supposed to ferment the seeds......had never done that. I just scoop out the seeds and spread on a paper towel, then peel off when dry. but I put them in a plastic container to ferment. They STUNK! I put them outside where they quickly attracted maggots and I threw the stinky, squirmy mess away. Sigh.....back to the peel and stick paper towels....

Or maybe do like @digitS...eat it out of hand and then scrape the seeds off your t-shirt...

Way to go digitS! That IS the way to save seeds.

My late-season, "heirloom" winner: Gary O Sena.

A modern cross between Cherokee Purple and Brandywine. That gives it quite a pedigree even though it's "modern."

CP is usually listed as an 80 day variety, Brandywine as 85 day, plus. Gary O Sena is sometimes noted as a 68 day tomato. I don't think so ... it comes in with the Big Beef in my garden. That's usually listed at 73 days.

Usually, not quite so much contrast between the green shoulders and the dusky pink but this tomato was fully ripe. Big tomato of well over 8 ounces off a big healthy plant, Gary O does what I hope for, with full tomato flavor and not a hitch in about 5 growing seasons.

Steve

Here's what I said on the "talking heirlooms" thread: "Coyote cherries! I still haven't decided how much I like the tiny guys.

"Usually, I'm not delighted to pick 'n' pick 'n' pick and after 20minutes still only have a handful. Tasting one Coyote tomato, however, will give you an idea of what you are in for!

"The tiny things have an incredible amount of flavor and sweetness! If you are one of those people who claim that Sungold is bland, give Coyote a try."

Tomato art..........we really should hang vegetable pictures in art galleries......think anyone but us would even get it?

baymule said:

Tomato art..........we really should hang vegetable pictures in art galleries......think anyone but us would even get it?

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Well I'm enjoying the Tomato Art, even if it is culinary torture since my growing season has just started.

Hal said:

Well I'm enjoying the Tomato Art, even if it is culinary torture since my growing season has just started.

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It's my torture season too, I am usually the first here on TEG to post tomato pictures, but they burn up fast and then it is my turn to be tortured by beautiful tomato pics. Be sure to post pictures of your tomatoes when we are all in winter time......and call @seedcorn attention to your tomato pics.....so he can hate on somebody besides me for a change.

Possibly the best post on saving tomato seeds - by @marshallsmyth

[marshallsmyth, post: 140967, member: 3851"]Saving tomato seeds can be done a bunch of different ways.

If your tomato plants are especially healthy and look like they really don't have any diseases caused by germs the seeds don't have to go through any fermentation process.

EASIEST WAY to save tomato seeds works well for saving less than 100 seeds. Main constraint is simply patience. For the simplest method all you'll need are clean old blue jeans, comfortable chair, table or desk, paper plate, envelope, and at least one fingernail cleanly clipped at a length short but just long enough barely to separate say 3 fourths as long as a tomato seed diameter. Your favored length can vary. Tomato pulp, juice, and gel straight from a tomato will not permanently stain blue jeans. A cotton towel works too. Jeans have perfect texture.

Label your envelope first, set it aside. Set down at the table get comfortable. Turning on an ole Arlo Guthrie tune often helps, especially if you'll be doing several large tomatoes. Slice your tomato open. Reach into it after spotting a seed. Sort of squeeze the tomato and get the seed onto your fingertip. Should have just the seed inside a little transparent gel looking stuff. For all the world it'll look like the seed is in a placenta. What you want to do is remove that placenta. Bring the seed to your upper leg just above your knee. Set it there on your jeans.

Now with your perfect length fingernail, draw the seed lightly across your jeans with enough pressure to let that placenta burst and come off after 1 to 4 inches of rub. A couple tries and you'll get better with each seed. Flip the seed over and do another light rub to get more wetness off the seed. See how the seed pulls best just under your fingernail? Now set the seed on your paper plate with the envelope marked. I also label the paper plate.

Repeat this until you have as many seeds as you want.

Set your paper plate of seeds at a good dry and slightly warm place. In a few hours or a day, pop the seeds loose from the plate. See why you want to get most of that placenta juice off? Leave too much on and it acts like glue. All the seeds on the plate are now loosened. Let them dry for a couple more days, well separated on the plate, envelope still setting on the plate. After a couple days pack the envelope.

Voyla!

Beauty of this is you can even serruptitiously do this in a restaurant if they serve some amazingly splendid fresh tomato on a plate...No messy bowls of fermenting seeds and rotting tomato pulp...and it inspires you with another reason to grow healthy plants.

All seeds should be saved in any case from healthy plants.

Your turn...what's your favorite way?

I'm blessed/cursed with an fairly arid climate and a high deck with plenty of southern and western exposure.

A piece of Bounty paper with those Coyote seeds has been out there for about 6 weeks. They are either cooked or ready for the winter.

We are the only ones to enjoy the looks of fruits and vegetables? I think not! None other than Paul Gauguin painted this:


Steve