Show us your tomatoes!!!!

[Catalina]

. . .
how does the gold nugget tomato taste?

that is the most important thing

. . .

Sure, HiDelight, taste is the most important thing but it's not the only thing (Greensage's "staying qualities" . . . Catalina's white spaghetti sauce??!)

I mean, blight resistance is one thing. Gold Nugget doesn't have it.

Taste? It can't compete with the Sungolds and SunSugars.

Earliness? It's got the jump on all the other cherries I've grown except, maybe, Sweet Baby Girl. There's a nice little tomato on a nice little plant . . .

Earliness is important in this location with its cool nights but it's not as critical as when I lived a few hundred feet higher and could only get Sub-Arctics to ripen.

There must be many more choices now even at that elevation. Baggett at Oregon State developed a Siletz variety that I'm curious about. Siletz Oregon is a town in the hills near the coast. The plants are supposed to do very well in cool climates producing nice slicers with good flavor in 52 days!! That beats Early Girls!

But as I say, earliness isn't as critical to me as it once was. And, ability to grow and ripen in a cool, moist climate isn't necessary for here, either.

I'd be "delighted" to grow a Brandywine but without keeping them under plastic or glass to extend the season, I don't think that's possible for either you or me. There are others that might be just right for your "usual" climate. I'm starting to think that early Mediterranean heirloom varieties might be best here. Not for you but for me!!

You and I both should probably look at these new eastern European heirlooms . . .

Steve

I agree with you about earliness. That's how I picked my tomatoes this year. Last year I tried to grow brandywines and pineapples, but I only harvested a few tomatoes before the frost hit.
This year if it had a short growing season AND it was colorful/tasty I picked it.

 

[HiDelight]

Digit/Steve thank you for that lots to think about ..I just plan nothing to be honest but I love to think about things and learn from others
..I grow tomatoes for 4 basic reasons
1. to eat off the vine (aroma texture and taste)
2. to roast broil or use as a side dish for Persian, Middle Eastern dishes (aroma taste and texture they must be a firm tomato for this)
3. to make red sauce (taste texture and aroma)
4. because I love tomatoes ..and I can grow them here where they should not grow!!! row

you are so right about the Eastern European types I betcha they would be great here and I am seeing them pop up at my favorite nursery more and more ...last year I tried a black roma type tomato from Ukrain last year it was good but not great and my sauce did not taste right so I will stick with San Marzano and just keep at the pruning and keep them covered

red sauce is as important to my cooking as any other single thing so it is worth it to me to keep trying to grow the right tomatoes ..I can not find a tomato in a can that tastes like what I need to make this correctly...and I can not explain how I know when things are perfect I just know

as far as the slicing and broiling/roasting tomatoes I have to keep searching ..I did reach my Nirvana this year but I think I can try other types and still grow here ..expecially with the roasting tomatoes I need to find something mid way between the paste tomato and the slicing tomato ..the texture is the tough part for me because they need to stand up on the plate be a little more intense than a slicer but not as meaty as a paste ...

I am a grazer not a squirrel so when the tomatoes are done they are done for me ..I do not can any at all ..dry a few but use them up right away and while I may freeze some sauce for later...mostly it is a seasonal thing ..I am like that with my entire garden I do not save much of anything but I do use it up as I go
so keeper tomatoes are not that important to me I guess ..although this year I am going to just see with six large green heirloom I am going to put them away for a while then take them out and ripen them ...and see if I take any pleasure in eating them that way ..if so I will do it again next year!

the fact I am a grazer is the reason I am yearning for a perpetual garden..so you made a good point in what you said and it should be a point in all our gardening ..how the tomato or any vegetable suits you and your needs ..thank you so much for that

What a nice Blog HiDelight.

I really love how simple and elegant it looks. I am blog-clue-less; is it hard to maintain a blog?

I love the view, the sunflower, the daisies, the sedum.....I cannot wait to see next month.

Thanks,

Ron

Ron honey thank you!!! OMG I thought I was doing it wrong !!! because you are supposed to write profound paragraphs in blogs aren't you? I did not even realize what I was doing ..but it is easy on that site I used or I could not do it!
I was having trouble getting pictures up in a timely manner for posts and felt like "darn I missed it" when the thread went on and I could not show a picture ..especially this one since I started it!

so to answer your question ..it is very very easy to do this blog because I have no idea what I am doing and you say it looks nice imagine if I knew what I was doing?

try one Ron it is fun! then we can be your groupies !!! I love your perfectly ripe cherry tomatoes they look like they are bursting with flavor!!!!

 

[digitS']

I'm going to post a link to quite a lot of info on tomatoes. The author is in a suburb of Vancouver and I've watched her database grow and grow over the last few years.

Obviously, she is building up to having a seed source for all these heirlooms but that's okay. Squeezing some $$ outta all this tomato work along with the seeds is just the American, uh, Canadian way !

Steve

The page linked is an Eastern European variety which just might be a broiling choice for HiDelight.

 

[HiDelight]

very interesting Steve thanks! I will have to keep my eyes open as the inside of that tomato has nice visual ratio of flesh to seeds... can not believe I have a table full of tomatoes that I think are the best I have ever grown and also there are still many more on the plants..

and the wheels are turning for next years plans

I love being in this type of loop

we are really having a down pour here ..thunder lightening the works ..it is beautiful and all the doors are open ..but I worry about those last tomatoes ..even with a cover they are going to get drowned as I already have a river flowing through the yard ..I may just have to pick everything tomorrow (they are mostly all pretty blushed now and I wanted as I said above to try the storing and then ripening in the window technique ..I have childhood memories of green tomatoes wrapped in newspaper and put carefully in wine boxes in the basement ..then brought out for a pending salad ..
usually my favorite was the panzanella (Italian bread salad)
this is a good recipe except I add lemon and balsamic to the dressing instead of red wine vinegar) and the herbs are whatever I have on hand fresh or dried ..and I use whatever tomatoes I have on hand ..so it is exactly the same but very different ..this is a good recipe if you have left over garlic bread as well ..just toast it until it is like a crouton then toss it in the salad with extra tomatoes to ensure lots of juice to soak up in the bread,

if you have never tried a bread salad ..do so!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/tbl-panzanella-recipe/index.html

I am hoping maybe this storing green tomatoes works for me

I only remember the salads not the tomatoes taste and flavor on their own so I can not tell you if I thought the counter ripened tomatoes had good taste and texture ..but they did wonderfullly in the salad!

 

[digitS']

Can you tell that I enjoy growing and talking about tomatoes? . . . . okay, times up - if you answered yes, yer right !!

Okay, I've spent this entire cloudy, rain-sprinkled morning researching tomatoes. Mostly, as a result of HiDelight's broiling quest. (I've taken that on with relish. Actually, more like a sprinkle of Mrs. Dash .)

First off, here's a link to Tatianna's "Tomato Variety List" page. You can click on the alphabet at the top to navigate around. That earlier link I posted required some gymnastics to get to this list.

Now, let me suggest ox-heart types, altho' I really know nothing about broiling tomatoes nor growing ox hearts. Many times, my tomatoes will start off the season with ox heart shapes despite the fact that I haven't planted those varieties. What's happening (I think) is that early tomatoes have very few seed and so very small seed cavities. The fruit may grow fairly normally but without the seed and the gel that surrounds them, the shape often isn't a globe.

So, if you are looking for "meaty" tomatoes, ox hearts may be a good way to go. And, Anna Russian & Kosovo are early, eastern European varieties that I've come across in my browsing . . .

Steve,
who needs to get to something else today , including spraying in the cutting garden if'n it dries out a little.

 

[farmerlor]

Can you tell that I enjoy growing and talking about tomatoes? . . . . okay, times up - if you answered yes, yer right !!

Okay, I've spent this entire cloudy, rain-sprinkled morning researching tomatoes. Mostly, as a result of HiDelight's broiling quest. (I've taken that on with relish. Actually, more like a sprinkle of Mrs. Dash .)

First off, here's a link to Tatianna's "Tomato Variety List" page. You can click on the alphabet at the top to navigate around. That earlier link I posted required some gymnastics to get to this list.

Now, let me suggest ox-heart types, altho' I really know nothing about broiling tomatoes nor growing ox hearts. Many times, my tomatoes will start off the season with ox heart shapes despite the fact that I haven't planted those varieties. What's happening (I think) is that early tomatoes have very few seed and so very small seed cavities. The fruit may grow fairly normally but without the seed and the gel that surrounds them, the shape often isn't a globe.

So, if you are looking for "meaty" tomatoes, ox hearts may be a good way to go. And, Anna Russian & Kosovo are early, eastern European varieties that I've come across in my browsing . . .

Steve,
who needs to get to something else today , including spraying in the cutting garden if'n it dries out a little.

I had some beautiful, beautiful Thessaloniki Oxhearts this year. I think you can see one in my pic above. Huge, heavy tomatoes with lots and lots of flavorful meat. Definitely going to be a standard in my garden from now on. Another huge, huge tomato that we like is the Caspian Pink. Doesn't put out really heavy yields in my area but each tomato is BIG and tastes wonderful.

 

[HiDelight]

thank you both! oxhearts sound great I will remember them for next year ..wow that is quite a tomato site Steve ..thanks! if there is a tomato with a name I bet it is on that list!

today I want to compare my tomatoes for roasting and I wish I had an oxheart now to try with these! darn!

the San Marzanos are a wonderful paste tomato ..and they make the sauce of my childhood for sure ..but eating them any other way but in a red sauce ..is kind of a waste since they taste like they are waiting to be cooked (if that makes any sense at all) ..others may disagree with me .. I have had Romas served to me as a roasted tomato in Persian restaurants but I do not think they are the right choice! I am so jaded!

the plan is to make some Persian rice and roast one of each tomato olive oil coarse salt and a bit of dried basil roasted in a very hot oven until the skin browns and splits and the inside is just soft not mushy....I already know I do not want any of the ones I grew this year as my perfect roaster ...but promise I will enjoy tasting them besides let's see what the masses think (my "masses" today..well ... just my husband )

 

[journey11]

I have gleaned a lot from this thread. Now I am excited about next year's tomatoes too!

I have been searching for the perfect paste tomato too. I will try your San Marzanos. I had not heard of them before, so I hope they will do well in my area.

I recommend oxhearts too. My FIL grew them one year and I was very impressed (not sure the variety). They were beautiful, streaked from a little green at the top, to pink, to deep burgandy at the blossom end. They were excellent for fresh eating (you know, wandering out to the garden, salt shaker in hand!) The flavor was unforgettable! They are hit or miss around here. If you buy started seedlings, you may or may not find them.

I plan to start all my seedlings again next year. I could not believe how easy they were. And then I have more control over the variety I plant. My husband has put in a request for Jubilee. I grew those 3 years ago, and he really loved them. He favors a yellow tomato.

I won't be planting Pineapple again. I was very disappointed with them. Maybe it just didn't get hot enough here for them this year, I dunno. They seemed very prone to disease and favored both by chickens and bugs. They took forever to ripen. I found them to be bland, grainy and they spoiled quicker than my others.

I was very impressed with your blog too, HiDelight. Now I want to do one!
(I have no picture of the inside of that tomato--he's gone...I ate the whole thing myself! )

 

[Catalina]

My white tomatoes

I love these orange ones. They are huge! I have another pic where they look like mini pumpkins.

 

[injunjoe]

Man those white ones are cool ! I have never seen a white tomato.
Thanks for sharing.