Tomatoes 2025

[Shades-of-Oregon]

Well Steve I was curious to why tomatoes depend on the weather so much to ripen when home grown.
I googled and found this explaination.

Tomatoes depend on specific weather conditions because their ripening is a complex biological process influenced by temperature, which controls the production of the ripening hormone ethylene and the development of pigments like lycopene and carotene. Ideal ripening temperatures are between 68–77°F (20–25°C); temperatures above 85°F (29°C) can halt the process, preventing the development of red color, while cold temperatures can also slow ripening or damage the fruit.

Alrighty then.. just a little research. Finicky tomatoes.

 

[flowerbug]

...
I dug through the rocky soil in the Spring and put about 2 shovelfuls of compost directly under where the tomato plants would go. That's it.

i normally used about 1/4-1/3rd of a bucket of worm compost/worms for each tomato plant. always have had pretty good production.

 

[digitS']

@ducks4you asked for my tomato soup recipe on another thread.

Really, it is the simplest thing; I can prepare a couple of bowls in less than 45 minutes, start to finish. And, there is no precision to it. Ya know, I was a kid who was quite happy with a cup of hot V8 juice with a sprinkle of Tabasco sauce .

With garden fresh tomatoes, I like to start with bacon and it needs to be crispy because everything will go in the blender. Get rid of most of the bacon fat but fry some nice jalapeños, chopped onion and, maybe, garlic. I am very fond of shallots .

If there's a secret to my approach, it is that the tomatoes do not need to be peeled. If I am trying to use up cherry tomatoes, only about 1/2 of the contents can be allocated to them because the skin to flesh ratio is too high with cherries. Into the blender they go. Allow some time, look for flecks of skin. You kinda don't want to see any. Also true with the peppers, bacon and onions. That is why it's called a blender!

Into a pot. Stir frequently. I like Magi sauce instead of salt but soy sauce works fine. Your sense of smell will tell you when it is ready for the table . If it's available, add some half and half during the last minute of cooking. If not, use extra grated cheese of an easily melting variety. Always add cheese. You're done !

Steve

 

[ducks4you]

Thanks, already saved on my laptop!
I figure that if YOU like it, it will taste good, and I don't want to Waste tomatoes this year on a bad Pinterest recipe.

 

[SPedigrees]

@ducks4you asked for my tomato soup recipe on another thread.

Really, it is the simplest thing; I can prepare a couple of bowls in less than 45 minutes, start to finish. And, there is no precision to it. Ya know, I was a kid who was quite happy with a cup of hot V8 juice with a sprinkle of Tabasco sauce .

With garden fresh tomatoes, I like to start with bacon and it needs to be crispy because everything will go in the blender. Get rid of most of the bacon fat but fry some nice jalapeños, chopped onion and, maybe, garlic. I am very fond of shallots .

If there's a secret to my approach, it is that the tomatoes do not need to be peeled. If I am trying to use up cherry tomatoes, only about 1/2 of the contents can be allocated to them because the skin to flesh ratio is too high with cherries. Into the blender they go. Allow some time, look for flecks of skin. You kinda don't want to see any. Also true with the peppers, bacon and onions. That is why it's called a blender!

Into a pot. Stir frequently. I like Magi sauce instead of salt but soy sauce works fine. Your sense of smell will tell you when it is ready for the table . If it's available, add some half and half during the last minute of cooking. If not, use extra grated cheese of an easily melting variety. Always add cheese. You're done !

Steve

Oooh, tomato soup with bits of melted/melting cheddar cheese - one of my favorites from my childhood! The nice thing about this soup recipe, in addition to not having to peel the tomatoes, is that this probably takes less cooking than spaghetti sauce, because that sauce took forever and used a ton of energy (electricity).

 

[ducks4you]

@ducks4you asked for my tomato soup recipe on another thread.

Yeah, but this time I followed through and copied/saved it!!

 

[flowerbug]

Oooh, tomato soup with bits of melted/melting cheddar cheese - one of my favorites from my childhood! The nice thing about this soup recipe, in addition to not having to peel the tomatoes, is that this probably takes less cooking than spaghetti sauce, because that sauce took forever and used a ton of energy (electricity).

what we do to avoid cooking down tomatoes to make a thicker sauce is use canned tomato paste to thicken the other tomatoes we have canned. yes, it's not the same but by the time we get the spices and meatballs in there you really can't tell... we do still simmer things for a few hours to make sure the flavors are melded.