September 8, 2007

pizza with tomato sauce

We have a convenient tomato processor that separates the skins and seeds from tomato juice and pulp. We add quartered tomatoes to the hopper and crank them through. The skin and seeds come out one side and the pulp comes out the other. We ran about 25 big tomatoes through the tomato machine and make a nice batch of puree, which we simmered about an hour to make a nice sauce for pizza. We used a bit of this and froze the rest in baggies. Almost everything is better grilled…

August 29, 2007

sun dried tomatoes

“Sun-dried” tomatoes: Well, since sun drying takes 4 days even in a dry climate (and I don’t live in the land of enchantment but in soggy Massachusetts) I used the oven dying method. Directions are at the Victory Garden: Cut tomatoes in half or smaller and brush lightly with olive oil. Place them on a baking sheet at extremely low heat — 150-200 degrees F — all day long. I store these in baggies in the freezer so they will last 6 months. I mostly use them on pizzas.

August 12, 2007

heirloom tomato taste test

Since my tomatoes are late this year, I bought five different varieties of heirloom tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market. My thought was to taste test and pick the best tomatoes for my garden next year. The unsliced tomatoes varieties are (clockwise form top left): Brandywine, Orange Blossom (not an heirloom), Prudence Purple, Flame and Black Prince. I thought this would be easier, but it turned out to be impossible to pick the best! I think maybe the nicest thing is the way all of the different varieties look (and taste)…

August 11, 2007

tomatoes

Early Girl and Chadwick’s Cherry Brandywine and Big Girl Big Boy and Big Beef New Girl and Rutgers Moskvich and MarglobeThese are the tomatoes in my garden this week. Ripening in the August sun. I find them very photogenic, whether green or red. Skippy and I check out the progress of the fruits every day or so. We poke around in the shade of the vines and enjoy the bitter green fresh smell of the quintessential summer plant.Solanum lycopersicum

August 8, 2007

pickin’ a few tomatoes

Just for my records, I’m posting the tomatoes I picked today. One Big Boy (the bigger one) and two New Girls. They tasted yummy. (Solanum lycopersicum)

August 7, 2007

tomato season

Though my tomatoes are still mostly green, they are lovely looking fruits and they’ll ripen soon. In the mean time, I’m sampling fresh local tomatoes. One problem with having my own garden is not being able to stock up on summer farmer’s market produce because I have my own produce filling my counters. Until my tomatoes ripen, I figure I try some different heirloom varieties and see which ones I’d like to grow myself next year. Brandywine is my old favorite. What is your favorite tomato variety? Solanum lycopersicum

August 1, 2007

fresh tomatoes and garlic

I picked two New Girl tomatoes today. I just made it under the wire as it was the last chance for me to pick a full-sized ripe tomato in the month of July. Its a very late year for tomatoes for me. My parents are having the same problem. The newspaper reports that the mean Boston temperature has been 2 degrees below normal for the month of July. Also we’ve had 5.3 inches of rain compared with a normal of 3.0 inches for July. Eighteen of 31 days have had…

July 26, 2007

a first – finally

I suppose this counts as my first garden tomato. A tiny, split Chadwick’s cherry tomato. The big guys are out there. But none are showing any color (but green) yet. Solanum lycopersicum

July 18, 2007

no tomatoes yet

Today was supposed to be the day. I was trying to get a ripe tomato 2 weeks earlier than last year. I bought bigger plants and planted them in a warmer location than last year. Everything was going well. The plants bloomed very early. But now they are ripening slowly. Lots of green tomatoes today, but no red ones. I’ll keep an eye on them. That first tomato is always exciting. Solanum lycopersicum

July 15, 2007

tall tomatoes

Wow! We’re back from vacation and the tomato plants are enormous! Already they are 6 feet tall. Lots of pretty green tomatoes all over them. Skippy is almost lost in the tall plants. I was hoping they’d be ripe by now 🙁 Oh well… Solanum lycopersicum

weeks and counting until my last spring frost

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