Showing posts with label tomatoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tomatoes. Show all posts

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Slow Growing

Things are heating up outside; the night temperatures are in the upper 60s to 70s and the daytime temperatures are in the high 80s and 90s. I hoped I was hallucinating when last night KVUE-TV meteorologist, Mark Murray, suggested the possibility of triple-digit temperatures in the next couple of weeks. Is he trying to hurt me?

Anyway, you know what high daytime and nighttime temperatures mean for tomato plants, don't you? Your plants may bloom, but they won't get fruit set.

As easy as tomatoes are to grow, they do get persnickety about temperatures, but then, so do I. Heck, when the temperature gets above 80, screw it--I am not going to exert myself, either. End of story.

There are large-fruited varieties that are supposed set fruit when the heat is on, such as "Heatwave" and "Sunmaster," but even they aren't always reliable. I have found that if you want tomatoes all summer long, and if size really doesn't matter (whatever gets you through the night), then be sure to plant at least one cherry tomato in the garden, as they are reliable producers in hot weather. I had a yellow pear last year that was crazy with tomatoes well into fall.

Start new plants for fall by taking cuttings from your current crop of healthy plants and rooting them in a potting medium that drains well. Come late July put them into the garden with a little extra shade from the sun, and get ready for a fall crop.


Simple Tomato Salad

Tomato salad is a classic, and quite an easy and simple dish to prepare. I offer no measurements because I never measure. I will next time. But for today...

Ingredients


  • Tomatoes

  • Oregano

  • Basil

  • Olive Oil

  • Balsamic Vinegar

  • 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • Salt and pepper to taste

If you are using the large-fruited tomatoes, give them a large dice. If you are using cherry tomatoes just cut them in half. Place tomatoes into a bowl.

Tear leaves of basil and oregano, add to bowl.

In a separate bowl make the vinaigrette by whisking together enough olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, salt and pepper to coat but not drown the amount of tomatoes you're using.

Pour half of the vinaigrette over the tomatoes, basil and mint, and coat thoroughly. Add more if necessary. If you have any remaining, save it for next time.

Serves: Depends on how many tomatoes you decide to use.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Tantric Tomatoes

When was the last time you devoured a large, succulent, vine-ripened tomato whole, allowing its luscious, sweet and earthy juices to dance on your tongue, or to run between your fingers and down your hands and arms, unselfconsciously permitting bits of its seed-imbued gelatinous pulp to cling to the corners of your mouth and slowly slither down your chin and onto the front of your shirt where it collected in a viscous pool of pale red?

If you're buying tomatoes from the grocery store, the answer to that long, drawn-out, and oddly arousing question is: probably never.

Even if you're not laying down your hard-earned cash for the pink and crunchy "tube tomatoes" at four to a pack covered in plastic wrap, most store-bought tomatoes still have as much flavor as a bag of crap. No, wait. Crap has more flavor.

Farmer's markets are everywhere these days, making it easier than ever for you--the consumer--to buy a wide variety of delicious vine-ripened tomatoes in a rainbow of colors.

And even better than a farmer's market tomato is one that you have grown yourself. Tomatoes are easier to grow than you might imagine, and will reward you with tangy, juicy, sweet and savory fruits to eat raw, or to use in your favorite recipes. Oh, and anyone to whom you serve a dish featuring your tomatoes will become your slave. THAT'S the power of a homegrown tomato.

If you are a fan of the pomme d’amour (love apple, so named for its alleged properties as an aphrodisiac—oh la la), then you ought to grow them—at least once—so you will know firsthand the joy of an honest, fresh, ripe tomato.

Be warned—once you cultivate, harvest and consume tomatoes you have grown yourself, you’ll have the bug (and we don’t mean hornworms…well, maybe...but we’ll deal with that later).