Distressing Tomato Problem

[Kassaundra]

I've been trying heirlooms for 3 years now and got less then 10 tomatoes total each season.

 

[seedcorn]

Except for San Marzano tomatoes, I'm strictly F1's. I grow garden for the production, not for sentiments. Maybe because I grew up on Early Girls, Big Boys, etc, I find the taste of heirlooms less sweet than F1's. Actually for taste, production, etc, Better Boys is my go to tomato.

 

[Jared77]

I'm really sorry to hear what happened that's awful.

I always plant a mix of F1s & heirloom. The F1s give me the bulk of my tomatoes they are purely for volume. My heirlooms I grow for taste and something different. I grow enough F1s to ensure I get enough tomatoes in the event my heirlooms fail so I'm not short on tomatoes. It's mostly Early Girls with some Roma's mixed in. This also let's me grow more different varieties since anything I get from them is bonus. This year I have 8 different heirloom varieties. Some are old favorites and some are new for this year.

Yes this means I grow more tomatoes than many folks but it's saved me in the past. We can a lot of them so they don't go to waste.

 

[Kassaundra]

All the affected ones are out, roots were huge and healthy, no nodules at all. Now I have nearly a 5 gall bucket of very green tomatoes.

 

[canesisters]

MMMMMmmmmmmmm gonna be some fried green tomatoes in your future.

... can ya freeze them - once they're fried, I mean

 

[Kassaundra]

Well in the vane of life giving lemons so you make (hard) lemonade type thinking. I found several recipes for green tomato wine. They say it makes a light colored (think chardoney) pleasant and unexpected wine. After I get a few ingredients I will have enough green tomatoes to make 3 gallons of green tomato wine.

 

[lesa]

Well, there is the silver lining!! Can't wait to hear how it tastes!

 

[buckabucka]

It sounds like a toast will be in order, and perhaps a libation for next year's garden!

My late brother-in-law made all kinds of wines: banana, raspberry, apple, even rhubarb, which was surprisingly delicious.

 

[baymule]

Green tomato pickles, have not made them, but eat them at a nearby restaurant.

Ingredients:
1 gallon green tomatoes, thinly sliced
6 large onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup salt
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon whole allspice berries
1 tablespoon celery seeds
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon ground mustard
3 cups distilled white vinegar
3 cups brown sugar
1/2 lemon, sliced
2 red bell peppers, minced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
Directions:
1.In a large ceramic bowl or crock, combine green tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle with salt. Refrigerate overnight.
2.Pour cold water over tomatoes and onions, and let stand for 1 hour. Place black pepper, cloves, allspice, mustard seeds and ground mustard in a small cheesecloth bag.
3.In a large pot, stir together vinegar and sugar, and then add the tomatoes and onions, the cheesecloth bag with spices, the sliced lemon, and minced red pepper. Bring to a low boil, and then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
4.Fill sterilized jars with tomato mixture, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Garnish with thin strips of red pepper arrange vertically along the sides of the jars. Screw on lids, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

 

[MontyJ]

If you still have the plants, cut a piece of the main stem and dunk it into a glass of water. Look for a milky substance to form. I'm just having a hard time accepting water wilt affecting plants in such a random manner.