Why? Cutting them first allows the natural juice inside to escape.

Once blanched and processed, whether with a blender or a hand operated rotary vegetable/fruit masher/strainer, few seeds remain whole.

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Not every one likes seeds in their drink. The juice can make it watery. I didn't mention procecessing. Not neccessary unless you're canning.

Dave

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By processing, I was referring to the breaking up of the pulp via blender or masher. Skip that step and no additional work is required prior to canning; blanching is all that's required.

As for being watery, that depends on the variety of tomato used. I prefer Rutgers, and find the juice amply thick for my liking. What is your preferred variety?

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lol... Been canning and preserving for more than 30 years but thanks for the "tip" just the same.

Not a fan of Rutgers. A determinate plant that only improved are disease resistant. Because of the wilt in the soil, they don't do well here. I guess If I had to pick, I'd say the Early Girl and Better Boy are my preferred varieties.

Dave

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I've had no problem with Rutgers re. disease, etc., in the 50 years that I've been growing them.

And, the fact that, as a determinate, they are easy to stake up, and therefore both consume less ground space and are easier to sucker, mulch, pick, etal. is, for me, an advantage.

I've a vague recollection of trying Early Girl a long time ago, and found it to be too sweet for my taste; but, I may be wrong about the variety here recalled.

Long ago, when I'd more space, I also grew yellow tomatoes, both full & cherry size, along with red cherries.

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Depends a lot on your soil. Areas with greater and longer periods of ground moisture are far more prone to wilt... like mine is.

Early Girl is a bit sweeter. I like the early maturity as well as the resistance. Better Boy is not quite as sweet. Both are well suited for areas prone to wilt, good slicers and can well.

I love indeterminite plants. Like to see how high I can grow them. Typically, 6-7 foot with some going well over 8 ft. Rather than staking, I use concrete reinforcing screen to make round cages about 20" in diameter. I just tuck the branches inside the cage as they grow. Keeps them off the ground, easy to mulch and you can reach right through the cage to pick. Depending on how many are planted, individual cages can be staked so they don't get blown/fall over, or you can drive a fence post about every 4th cage, run some old pipe or rebar lengthwise through the cages and tie the pipe off to the fence posts.

One of my favorites to grow is the Black Krim. Nice large tomatoes, distinctive flavor and definitely not sweet. A great slicer and works OK canning. Unfortunately being an heirloom not resistant to wilt, I lose it about 1/2 to 2/3rd's through the season. I've got the room so I try and grow one each season just the same.

Dave

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Yup, soil is definitely a big factor.

Where I grew up, in the farmlands of central PA, my valley was blessed with most fertile soil, on top of a rich seam of Valentine limestone; percolation was great & the ph was pretty much self-regulating. At my present location, I've a thin topsoil on top of heavy clay, thanks to those who 50+ years ago "developed" what was once a forested plateau; percolation sucks, and the ph varies greatly all over my property.

Given the small area available here for gardening - the whole property is a mere 8900 sq. ft. - and the soil conditions, I have, over the course of several years, built a raised bed of organic material that extends about 18 in. below ground level and 8 in. above. Percolation there keeps the plants adequately protected even when the rest of the area is awash in runoff from a neighboring property after heavy rains. An occasional dash of greensand suffices as supplement.

With a limited space with suitable soil, I'm constrained to determinate tomatoes if I'm to have any space left for other crops. And, as Rutgers was the variety that I first tried as a kid, one that never failed me, it's the one that I here prefer.

You, on the other hand, seem to be in the envious position of having a rather large area for gardening, such as I recall from childhood days. My parents rented a portion of what had once been a farm, that portion including the house, sheds, milk house & barn. Along with a garden of considerable size - from recollection, roughly equal to that of my present property in total - surrounded by a fence that served for growing grapes, there were also a variety of fruit trees (apple, pear, 2 or 3 types of sour cherries & an oxheart cherry) and various berries, such that, aside from peaches & bananas, our need for store bought fruits & vegetables was exceedingly small.

Had I the space & the time, I'd try growing every variety of tomato known. Until then, keep on enjoying your own personal Tomato World.

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Thank you, yes I am fortunate. Like you, my rows are raised beds. Unfortunately, once the wilt gets into the soil, the only real way to try and rid yourself of it is to fumigate and allow to lie fallow for 4+ years. There is a product I've tried called RootShield that helped but not well enough for my liking. I don't believe it works well on verticillium wilt.

Just the same, I enjoy gardening. Try new things all the time just because.

Enjoy your own Tomato World as well.

Dave

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Considering the price of tomatoes today, I think I would start a garden of my own for vegetables... but, I hate pests and insects..... are greenhouses cheap?

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For the most part no. Greenhouses are not cheap. As far as pests and insects, you will need bees as an example, for pollination unless you intend to do it yourself which can be a real hassle and not neccessarily as effective.

Container growing on a patio, porch or deck can be effective. I just spoke to a friend who grew Cherry Tomatoes upside down and is already eating them. Granted, he did get the plants from Florida so he had a pretty good headstart.

Here's a neat link you might like...

Upside down Tomatoes

For me, I hate weeds. Takes some of the joy out of gardening for me. I want to plant, watch what I've sown grow, and enjoy the harvest. A couple of years ago I went on a bit of a rant with a blog post. Just me being "cranky".

But I did include a way to help keep your garden free of weeds some of you might like...

Get off my lawn!

Dave

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great read thanks for those. I think I will give it a shot with the upside down tomato thing, but it seems like a hard work and needs lots of space... so, should I get some bees too ? lol, just kidding

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LOL! Not as difficult as it may seem. Generally, a bit of wind or breeze will suffice for pollination of tomatoes but in the case of a single plant or two, once the plant begins to flower, you can gently shake the plant which will help. Also, having flowers, especially fragrant ones, close to the plant can attract "good bugs" which also helps.

I have many friends and acquaintances that simply do not have the room and grow a tomato plant or two on their patio or balcony in containers. As long as you have a mostly sunny spot, you can simply grow them in a large pot. There are times when this can be an advantage. Early frost, really stormy weather and the plant can simply be moved indoors briefly. I remember one year when a suprise storm boiled up and dumped one inch hail that destroyed about half my garden.

Dave

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I was planning on having plants on the rooftop so I guess tomatoes would be a good addition. What flowers do you suggest is good with it? I might just have problems with the wind though

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After two months of constant rain last 'summer' in the UK, we lost our entire crop of tomatoes in our garden.

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Anybody here plants weed in their garden???lol...just kidding... how much would it cost me to get my rooftop landscaped and get them to start up a garden for me??? who has a picture of the hanging garden?

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There's a lot pf pictures out there...

upside down garden - Google Image Search

Here's some more links...


upside down garden - Google Search

Dave

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There are companies that specialize in rooftop landscaping, design, etc. but they're specialized and usually not inexpensive. There are a whole lot alternatives if you're handy yourself or you can work with a decent contractor.

rooftop pergola - Google Image Search

A rooftop pergola is one way. Attractive and allows lots of options.

A simple and inexpensive way is to use an old swingset. Paint it nicely. You've got someplace to hang plants and planter boxes/benches around the outside of it will give it a nice feel. Climbing plants at the corners like clematis can really spice it up.

Dave

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DirtyOldCrankyDave

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ROFL!!!

Should have figured that was coming sooner or later.

Dave

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Is this a case of "it takes one to know one?"

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Oh yes, I forgot you:

I have been waiting for one of you two Tomato specialists to finally mention Bloody Mary.

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That would be here...

What do you like to drink?

Been there done that.

Dave

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How'd you get the bloody "multi-quote" function to work? It seems to completely ignore me.

Or, did you just manually cut & paste from 2 different posts of mine?

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One quote + one manual work.

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Thanks.

It's good to know that I'm not the only one having to use a kludge here.

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Well, thanks for the puzzle. I have never seriously paid attention to the "multi-quote" button.

So, first choose all the posts clicking on the 'multi-quote' and the last click goes to the single 'Quote' button.
It's gonna save my time too.

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Hm-mm.

After several attempts, it seems to consistently not include the very 1st post clicked on; more research needed by me.

Still, much thanks for pointing the way.

Bloody Marys are on me.

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Open invitation?



Dave

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Absolutely.

Pick any Penn State Football Home Game weekend, and I'll treat you to the Phyrst and/or the Skeller.

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hehehehehe... Fair enough and thank you.

Dave

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BTW, I can also arrange for free room & board with the Penn State Ticket Man, which is where I'll be staying.

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Do be careful with rooftop gardens! Ensure the roof can take any loads your rooftop garden would place on it!

A simple idea would be to create raised beds and use growbags or compost in them. Ensure the rooftop garden is waterproofed, though!

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so, anyone here know a great recipe for tomatoes? something that could impress a lady I think? just not spaghetti with tomato sauce or something

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Besides a really stiff bloody mary or 4?

That is so really wide open...

Here's some easy ones I like...

Hollow out a whole tomato and save what you take out. Fill the tomatoe, raw or grilled, with grilled mixed vegatables. Add some olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper (any seasonings you prefer) to what you saved, blend well and use as a dressing.

Top skinless boneless chicken breasts, I prefer them grilled, with slices of tomato and crumbled bleu cheese.

Diced tomotoes tossed in a hot skillet with some olive oil, tarragon and a bit of dijon mustard (don't overcook the tomatoes) makes a great topping for fish, especially salmon.

Diced tomatoes tossed in a hot skillet with some olive oil, garlic, basil and a splash of vodka (don't overcook the tomatoes) goes well with just about any pasta. You could try linguini. Jazz it up with some prosciutto, clams, or shrimp.

Dave

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What time is dinner being served?

I'll bring dessert.

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As a vegetarian I am sad to see a nice thread transforming into the killing fields.
Very nice recipes really, just exclude the dead ones.

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Killing fields? Do you not kill plants?

Plants feed on the remains of plants and animals, including those of humans.

Lesser animals feed on both plants and other animals, including humans.

Humans, like many other species, evolved as, and continue to have the digestive tracts of omnivores.

If plants and other animals feed on animals, why should humans deny their innate nature by eschewing meat?

BTW, be careful which plants you eat; some species are capable of recognizing their own kind, which might be taken as a sign of sentience.

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http://www.webproworld.com/breakroom...tml#post384822

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Green tomato chutney. VERY tasty!

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hehehehehe...

Dinner at 5. I like cheesecake.

Here's a fun one...

One of my summer favorites is using thinly sliced tomatoes on pizza instead of a sauce. For BBQ's, I'll make up a bunch of 6-8 inch rounds of pizza crusts in advance, have a "buffet" of sorts with all the toppings and let the guests choose their own toppings which I then bake on the grill. Fun and tasty!

Dave

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Activeco...

If you like, you can substitute...

Grilled zucchini, eggplant or grilled portabello mushroom slice for the chicken.

Grilled slice of pineapple for the fish. This is surprisingly tasty if you step up the mustard a bit.

Capers, olives, spinach, or asparagus for the prosciutto or shellfish. All go nicely with pasta and tomatoes. I've even used kidney beans... just not my favorite.

Dave

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Aka cream cheese pie, a name which is actually more accurate but rarely used.

The graham cracker crust must, of course, be made from scratch; none of that machine molded cardboard one finds in the supermarket.

Now, what kind of filling? While I'm partial to pumpkin, I'll here presume nothing re. the tastes of you and the other guests. Perhaps a variety?

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Agreed and agreed.

Me, I like a good old fashioned filling with a variety of fruits, etc. available for toppings. To each their own.

Dave

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Another good one!

At the end of the growing season, right before the first frost. I pick all my green tomatoes. No need in letting them go to waste.

Fried green tomatoes are good but also making a green tomato salsa.

Dave

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Almost forgot... Oven Dried Tomatoes

Once I get tired of canning, or have all I want put up for the year, I'll oven dry a few bags of tomatoes. If you search for "oven dried tomatoes" there's lots of interesting variations but here's how I do it...

Cut the tomatoes in half and squeeze out the extra juice. Save the juice because you can use it for cooking, dressings etc.

Quarter the tomatoes and place into a large bowl. Add a generous amount of olive oil. Add basil, garlic and salt to taste. Let them marinade for 3-4 hours.

Arrange the tomatoes on a non stick baking sheet, or on racks on top of the sheets if you have them. Right next to each other is fine since they'll shrink. Place in a low oven (about 200 degrees or less) and bake overnight or start in the morning and let them bake most of the day. I prefer the latter since I can keep an eye on them.

They're done when they're still a bit "rubbery". Since I have a foodsaver, I pack then in bags in amounts I'd tend to use, seal, and toss them in the freezer.

Dave

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I wanted to share my opinion variety of tomato I planted this year I've not grown in previous years... Mortgage Lifter.

Indeterminite plant that produces HUGE tomatoes. All of mine have been in the 1lb+ range. Very meaty, juicy and pink. They don't turn real red. Tremendous slicer for sandwiches. However, for those of you with wilt in the soil, the plant will die back sooner than the more disease resistant varieties. Tell you what, I'll grow these again. As a matter of fact, going to save seeds in case I'm not able to find the plants next year.

Here's the story behind them...

Tomato Casual*»* Tomatoes Bought My House: The unbelievable story of Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter Tomato

Dave

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For those in areas which are prone to wilt, growing your own seedlings, in sterile soil, is a good idea, as wilt is frequently spread via transplants.

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@dave --- oven-drying the tomatoes....do they become sweeter due to the roasting? where do you use them? in stews?

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Not really. The natural flavor becomes more intense.

There's a whole lot of ways to use them. Yes, you can add some to stews or soups for a burst of flavor. Diced or chopped and tossed with pasta. Salads, pizza, even with some nice cheese and a crusty bread as an appetizer. Think of them sort of like a "garnish" rather than a "base".

Actually, I dried some this weekend. It's a nice and different way to save them other than canning. As I said, I freeze mine but many folks prefer them packed in jars with olive oil.

Dave

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Exactly and good point. I probably should be starting any heirlooms I decide to grow from seed.

Dave

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