The weekly local paper, The Gazette, sent a photographer to the Tomato Tasting last weekend and the issue came out yesterday with the photos and blurb on page A-4. I've scanned it in and placed it here - click on it to see it at full-size. I searched their web site, but do not see anywhere that this item was placed online so that it could be properly linked.
Eagle-eyed readers will note our names was inventively misspelled in the photo caption as "Washington Gardiner"! That is a first for that one. Usually folks drop the first e. *Sigh*. I have requested a correction.
If you haven’t done it already, now’s the time to cut back your tomato plants.*
Why? To focus the plant’s energy on ripening its existing fruit, rather than on producing new flowers and starting new fruit, which won’t have time to grow and ripen before the first frost. Now you know.
*Technically you’re supposed to do this four weeks before the first frost date for your area. In Vancouver, that’s November 5, but I find that my tomatoes stop growing and ripening long before then.
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on Aug 28, 2008, 1:21PM
Part of Hanna’s Tomato Tastings 2008
Mmmmm… Chocolate. The mere mention of chocolate is enough to turn most women into La Femme Homer Simpson. So, when I found a tomato named Chocolate Stripes, how could I resist?
And my, my, my, my, my did it come off the vine looking like a million bucks. Sure, Some have looked. . .
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on Aug 26, 2008, 2:03PM
Posted by Hanna Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2008-08-28, 06:12:47
So you may want to get use to the fact that that my next few hundred posts are going to be about tomatoes. This morning while taking the pups out I spied quite a few and rather large red spots and oh my god the things I found!
This picture does absolutely no justice to the tomatoes. The size of them! I would say a few of them could easily weigh in at about 2-3 lbs!
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Posted by louisj80 Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2008-08-28, 06:10:26
We had almost 100 taste ballots turned in. (Many more folks tasted-and-dashed, declining to vote or thinking we were some kind of free food free-for-all.) I'm now a convert to Sun Sugar - my previous favorite Sun Gold pales in comparison. Many commented they will be growing Evergreen in their gardens next year, it was a surprising solid second. Most of the tomatoes were heirlooms and all came from farmers at the market. Spiral Path Farm was the source for the top three entries. The Mister/Miss Tomato Head activity was also a big hit -- I'm estimating 40 children took part. My next post will contain TomatoHead photos of some of the fanciful creations. The winner of the prize drawing for a big basket of garden and market goodies was Barry E. Shapiro of Silver Spring, MD.
Part of Hanna’s Tomato Tastings 2008
I ordered this tomato again, because last year the plant apparently could not deal with the rigors of living and commited suicide. It failed to thrive and died for no reason I could determine so I am chalking it up to a fragile mental health. There is normally one of. . .
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on Aug 25, 2008, 8:05PM
Posted by Hanna Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2008-08-27, 06:28:24
Well the Agricultural Fair was last week, and with it comes both the pinnacle of a season's work and the realization that it is time to start planning for next year. This garden brought home five (count them 5!) blue ribbons. The two of which I am most proud are the ones in garlic, I entered two heads of Montana Giant, and in biggest tomato. At 1 pound 10.3 ounces, Big Zac came through again as the winner. . . .
More than 30 readers joined me in the Newsday auditorium Friday evening for the 2nd annual Garden Detective Great Long Island Tomato Challenge. Most of those with tomatoes arrived with their entries concealed in foil-covered plates or paper or plastic bags, presumably to psyche out the competition. . .
After weeks and weeks of patiently (and impatiently) waiting I have ripe tomatoes. Last weekend I had a few to enter in the Men's Garden Show but this morning I went and picked some more out of the garden. I love tomatoes, I had a box of them to take to work and share but I forgot it at home. I decided that the tomatoes were too pretty to not take pictures of, have a look....
These are Super Sweet 100s. They are so delicious and sweet, once they start to ripen they don't stop!
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Posted by louisj80 Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2008-08-27, 06:19:17
$6,000 IN PRIZES AWARDED TO BEST BACKYARD GARDENERS
NatureSweet Tomatoes congratulates Bob Peruch of Carmichael for winning the $2,500 grand prize in the small tomato category at the August 23 Homegrown Tomato Challenge. Peruch won the competition with his Gardeners Delight variety of tomatoes. NatureSweet Tomatoes also congratulates Lin Cole of Citrus Heights for winning the other $2,500 grand prize in the large tomato category. . ..
This morning I was happy to see that the two green tomatoes that had begun their transformation from green to red had become even more red. There are quite a few tomatoes that are taunting me with the thought of turning red, but will not turn red for quite a while. Have a look. . .
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Posted by louisj80 Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2008-08-20, 06:01:42
Thats Plum tomatoes and Red Burgundy Okra - last weeks harvest from the vegetable garden along with other miscellaneous greens and herbs. The okra I planted from seed is really quite a beautiful plant- the lobed, red ribbed leaves that seem to mottle a little with age and the red stems and fruit are gorgeous. The packet says delicious and attractive, I've yet to test the delicious part- they may be a little past their best. The plum tomatoes on the other hand are taste tested and despite the fact that they are better used for cooking I couldn't resist having a couple just cut and salted- bliss.
Until the Garden Olympics, I thought I was just biased in my adoration for this beautiful tomato. Well now it's an award winner! Mary Ann over at Idaho Garden hosted the first ever Garden Olympics and my tomato was one of the bronze medallists! Thanks again, IG!
Here are some FAQ's about my bronze medallist. . .
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Posted by Gina Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2008-08-20, 05:56:25
The first heirloom tomato (Mortgage Lifter) was picked on Saturday. Pinkish with rounded shoulders and firm meaty flesh, it's the first beefsteak I've grown.
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Posted by John Curtin Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2008-08-19, 05:48:43
Part of Hanna’s Tomato Tastings 2008
“Dr. Jones, hand over ze Green Moldovan… or ve kill ze girl.”
Really, the name sounds like some kind of rare green jeweled idol that could lead to the end of humanity if it falls into the wrong hands. But no, this is a tomato. A true Green tomato meaning that. . .
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on Aug 16, 2008, 5:17PM
Posted by Hanna Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2008-08-18, 06:22:59
On Friday we had a heavy downpour which is worth noting for my own benefit. With the ground being damp the crows returned to dig up more peanuts. Not much going on elsewhere in the garden. The unruly sweet potato vines should be clipped; there’s a chance they will turn out all vine and no [...]
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on Aug 16, 2008, 6:05PM
Posted by adekun Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2008-08-18, 06:18:40
(As most of my blog posts begin) This morning while taking the pups out I decided to pick the 3 cherry tomatoes that have actually turned red. I was overjoyed to see that some of the other tomatoes are starting to turn red too!
The geraniums on the deck have rebloomed and turned a brilliant hue of red and there are also some pink ones too.
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Posted by louisj80 Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2008-08-15, 06:30:08
In case you haven't heard, Deb from Dinner Tonight and Margaret from A Way To Garden have been hosting a cross blog food fest every Thursday for the last few weeks and this week is all about Tomatoes. I am so down with this topic but before I go on I have two complaints for Deb and Margaret. . . .
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Posted by Gina Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2008-08-15, 06:26:36
Part of Hanna’s Tomato Tastings 2008
I grew up in hillbilly country. Cow tipping was not just a nightly pastime, it was a certified sport. I have often wondered if there was a difference between a redneck and a hillbilly. In my mind, hillbilly just sounds like a nicer person. Like Jed from the Beverly Hillbillies. . . .
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on Aug 14, 2008, 8:50AM
Posted by Hanna Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2008-08-15, 06:20:51
You turn your back on the garden for one minute and everything changes. We spent a good part of the weekend weeding, trimming, deadheading, and generally prettying-up the vegetable garden. I picked a semi-ripe tomato before I left for Illinois. The spouse picked a couple of almost-ripe tomatoes while I was gone, and we picked a few more last weekend. The reason I didn't blog about them was that they weren't very pretty - some cracked, some with green shoulders (some varieties are supposed to be that way, but still), some catfaced - and all delicious I might add. But this morning, I read Carol's post asking us to show off our UGLY tomatoes. Hey - I can do that!
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Posted by Entangled Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2008-08-07, 06:24:24
Does this qualify as a ripe tomato? If it does, I think the vegetable gardeners at Purdyville have beat out Carol of May Dreams Gardens for the first tomato. My 23-year-old daughter started the seeds...
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on Aug 6, 2008, 1:09PM
Posted by Kathy Purdy Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2008-08-07, 06:23:43
It seems that the rash of blossom end rot was short lived. I do have one tomato plant that looks pretty awful and which I don't expect to make it. Other than that, things seem to be doing ok. Tomatoes of all shapes and colors are coming out of my garden, ripe and healthy, every few days now. . . .
Here’s a short clip on how to take the suckers off tomatoes. It’s not too late to go out and do this on any staked tomato (in fact you should). Leave the tomatoes you have growing on the ground or in cages alone.
As an added thought - you grow staked tomatoes if you’re trying to maximize the amount of fruit per square foot of garden. You let them flop if you’re trying to maximize the amount of fruit per plant.
‘Big Boy’ vs. ‘Mortgage Lifter,’ hybrid vs. heirloom, the tomato wars have just begun. Everyone is sure that their tomato pick is the tastiest. Join Washington Gardener Magazine at the FreshFarm Market in downtown Silver Spring, MD, on Saturday, August 23 from 10am-1pm for a Tomato Tasting. Best of all, this event is free!
Farmers at the market will contribute their locally grown selections -- from super-sweet ‘Sungold’ to not-so-pretty ‘Cherokee Purple’ – and we’ll explore which tomatoes make the short list of favorites. We’ll have tomato growing tips, tomato recipes, tomato activities for kids, and much more – all to celebrate one of summer’s greatest indulgences – the juicy fresh tomato.
I'm still waiting for my own vegetables but I picked up some small cucumbers and three Russo Bruno tomatoes. I had eaten two of the tomatoes plain with a little salt. They were delicious! I had one left and decided to experiment with a little salad for my lunch. I sliced a small cucumber and placed it on a plate, I sliced the tomato and cut those slices in half, placing them on top of the cucumbers. I then sprinkled those with fresh chives, a little fresh ground pepper, a pinch of kosher salt and a tiny bit of herb vinegar. Lastly I garnished it with three tiny purple basil leaves. It was very good, and I could have made it twice as large. Next time I will!
Here is today's harvest which includes the first non-cherry type of tomato harvested for this season. It's the Heirloom Sausage Tomato. I'd never heard of this variety but I just couldn't pass it up, especially since I don't eat sausage. Get the irony. ..
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Posted by Gina Reblogged by Old Roses to harvest, tomatoes on 2008-07-29, 07:06:20
The count down on my side bar says this weekend I should have a ripe tomato. I'm not sure exactly why I picked this timing .... It seemed good. But I guess it was wishful thinking. . ..
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Posted by kathy Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2008-07-19, 05:49:50
This is a little trick I discovered a few years ago which results in additional tomato plants at no cost to you. When you pinch a large sucker from the crotch of a tomato plant, stick the sucker into the dirt. I try to use the shade of the parent plant to protect the new start as it establishes roots. I make sure to provide plenty of "drinks" for the first few days. Before you know it, you have a new plant which will provide you a plant to share with a friend, or more tomatoes for you.
You can see the small sucker planted in front of the parent plant. In a few more days, I will transplant the small plant to an area which will allow the plant to have it's own space--sunlight and water.
Drum roll, please…
It’s time for the one, the only, the ever anticipated Tomato Frenzy that the world has been waiting for! Hanna’s Tomato Tastings 2008 can now commence as there are ripe tomatoes on the vine in my garden.
For those of you who may not be familiar with Hanna’s Tomato Tastings, let me lay this. . .
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on Jul 17, 2008, 7:02PM
Posted by Hanna Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2008-07-18, 05:53:18
via WashingtonGardener on 1969-12-31, 19:00:00The weekly local paper, The Gazette, sent a photographer to the Tomato Tasting last weekend and the issue came out yesterday with the photos and blurb on page A-4. I've scanned it in and placed it here - click on it to see it at full-size. I searched their web site, but do not see anywhere that this item was placed online so that it could be properly linked.
