Tomatoes for 2023

[digitS']

I think that I will be making tomato soup from frozen cherry tomatoes this Winter.

Cherries have a higher skin to pulp ratio than larger tomatoes. Shucks, do chefs and horticulturalists have to be mathematicians too? I suppose so.

Larger tomatoes just don't need to be peeled before going into a blender or food processor for soup or pasta sauce IMO. Just give the machine an extra minute or two.

It's different with cherry tomatoes and We Are Having a Bountiful Year with Cherries! They are a bother to peel. Freezing makes it easier? Let's go with that .

Steve

 

[digitS']

Okay, perhaps I should say “small tomato” bounty — cherries, Bloody Butcher, Porter. And, those Lemon Boy Plus have tuff skins, as noted.

 

[flowerbug]

They do! My primary method of preserving tomatoes is freezing them. The taste is so perfectly intact it's incredible, smells like they're fresh from the garden. I love it. No burnt fingers from scalding and peeling, no work just pop em in a ziploc and slide it closed.

one thing i do love about our kitchen sink is that it is double sided so i can pile the tomatoes on the left side (after i make sure is it clean and rinsed well) after i scald them, but when they come out of the pot the right side of the sink has cold running water in it to cool them back off. so they won't be hot to the touch and i won't be burned by them. it's a dance from buckets to getting rinsed off and ready to be dunked, but at that point they are on the counter in big pile. so that the left sink is empty and waiting for them to be cooled off. once back in that sink they can sit there for a few hours if needed, they won't rot as i pick out the worst tomatoes and set them aside if i'm going to try to get anything from them. after all these years i've found that it's just not worth the risk though for many of them so i discard them now before i even bother bringing them in the house.

we just don't have the freezer space for storing hundreds of lbs of tomatoes plus i really do not want them stored in plastic or metal (which is why we grow them and can them in glass jars).

 

[heirloomgal]

Tomato harvest Saturday. More like tomato seed harvest, lol.

Love the color of Psamathe, and the long eyelashes.

Stripes!

More stripes, Green Bulgarian Stripes.

The best Tom this season, Greek Asemina.

Baby spaghetti sauce

 

[SPedigrees]

While my harvest is nothing by comparison to yours, heirloomgal, I'm nonetheless more and more impressed with the amount of currant-sized tomatoes I'm continuing to get from my 4 or 5 Candyland plants. I'd thought they were winding down production, yet I filled up several large bowls over the weekend, with more to come. I pick them when they are orange, and they ripen to red in a couple days on the kitchen counter.

My sister visited over the weekend and was snacking on them constantly, without making much of a dent in the supply, plus I sent her home with an empty cream cheese container filled with the berry-sized fruits.

Just as I was planning to do the best I could to save some seeds by various methods, so as to continue the legacy, I decided to take a second look at Pinetree Garden Seeds' website. Lo and behold, Candyland tomato seeds are once again available. Perhaps the last time I looked, they hadn't yet gotten these seeds ready to market, or it is possible my eyes just skipped over them. (The older I get the more likely that I miss things which are staring right at me.) Whatever, I'll be placing a one item order, and growing a plant or two again next summer. What an improvement this year's experience has been compared to watching a horde of green tomatoes killed by frost last year.

 

[Zeedman]

Although I've been picking "Elfin" grape tomatoes for several weeks, all of the larger tomatoes are just now getting started. No slicers this year, but a couple oxhearts, and some larger paste/sauce tomatoes. With weeds getting out of control & much to harvest, can't spend much time online now; I will post photos soon.

 

[Ladyreneer]

Although I've been picking "Elfin" grape tomatoes for several weeks, all of the larger tomatoes are just now getting started. No slicers this year, but a couple oxhearts, and some larger paste/sauce tomatoes. With weeds getting out of control & much to harvest, can't spend much time online now; I will post photos soon.

Zeedman,
What are your favorite tomatoes for paste/sauce? I also love homecanned, warm, salty tomato juice when I'm sick. It works great for sore throats.

 

[flowerbug]

Tomato harvest Saturday. More like tomato seed harvest, lol.
View attachment 60087

Love the color of Psamathe, and the long eyelashes.View attachment 60089

Stripes!View attachment 60091

More stripes, Green Bulgarian Stripes.View attachment 60090

The best Tom this season, Greek Asemina.View attachment 60092

Baby spaghetti sauce
View attachment 60093

you got some real beauties there!

 

[flowerbug]

...What an improvement this year's experience has been compared to watching a horde of green tomatoes killed by frost last year.

i'm glad things are working out for you this season! home grown tomatoes are one big reason for gardening.

if you have any green tomatoes on the plants and a frost is coming you can pick them and they will gradually ripen when kept inside. spread them out (not touching) on a table with newspaper under them and most of them will gradually ripen and can be enjoyed instead of thrown away. we've done this for years and while they may not be as good as ripened on the plants tomatoes they're still better than many you'd buy at the store.

 

[heirloomgal]

While my harvest is nothing by comparison to yours, heirloomgal, I'm nonetheless more and more impressed with the amount of currant-sized tomatoes I'm continuing to get from my 4 or 5 Candyland plants. I'd thought they were winding down production, yet I filled up several large bowls over the weekend, with more to come. I pick them when they are orange, and they ripen to red in a couple days on the kitchen counter.

My sister visited over the weekend and was snacking on them constantly, without making much of a dent in the supply, plus I sent her home with an empty cream cheese container filled with the berry-sized fruits.

Just as I was planning to do the best I could to save some seeds by various methods, so as to continue the legacy, I decided to take a second look at Pinetree Garden Seeds' website. Lo and behold, Candyland tomato seeds are once again available. Perhaps the last time I looked, they hadn't yet gotten these seeds ready to market, or it is possible my eyes just skipped over them. (The older I get the more likely that I miss things which are staring right at me.) Whatever, I'll be placing a one item order, and growing a plant or two again next summer. What an improvement this year's experience has been compared to watching a horde of green tomatoes killed by frost last year.

A couple other truly delicious currant tomatoes out there are Gold Rush Currant, White Currant and Spoon. There is another semi-currant small tomato called Mexico Midget and I really like that one too. The first two though are favourites. Gorgeous flavours.

This has been one of those garden seasons that has been crazy prolific, the tomato yields have been incredible. Been awhile since I had this level of production. And I don't even grow tomatoes much in the ground anymore, mostly pots, which usually drives down production significantly. Tinkering with some new fertility methods and I think it's working.