Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Tomato goodness

The tomatoes are coming in, at least two varieties are, and the other varieties have started turning red, so it won't be long. There is no sign, so far, of the dreaded mildiou (tomato blight) that plagued us last year. That's probably because we've had a good spell of hot and dry weather this summer. I planted the tomatoes a little farther apart this year and have stripped off lower leaves to improve air flow and minimize contact with the ground.

Yellow, red, and orange rainbows, and small round toms are ready to eat now.

I'm sure those things helped, but the lack of excess moisture this year is likely the main factor. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a good crop over the coming weeks. We'll have lots of sauce for the freezer!

8 comments:

  1. Walt...
    save room in your freezer...
    bottle the sauce.
    Bottle hot into warmed bottles, pop them back into the oven at 120 Centipedes for 20 minutes with slightly loose lids...
    clamp down or tighten lids as you remove... depending on what you bottle in...
    store... keeps for three years [that jar got stuck at back of shelf] at least....
    saves an awful lot of freezer space.
    We now do the same with "Garden Rat"... and "Tomato sauce, veg and beans"...
    the latter can use either fresh greanbeens or re-constituted dried beans...
    all are ready at a moments notice for a meal.
    We also did "Baby Yellow Crooknecks in Lemon Boy tomato sauce" last year...
    not tried those, yet...
    in fact... that's tonight's meal sorted!
    And you've just created all that new space in the garage...

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    Replies
    1. Been there done that, Tim. We have a big freezer and it's so much less work and mess just to put the sauce in there in plastic containers. Do you add some vinegar to your canned tomato sauce to increase its acidity? That's a smart thing to do to prevent food poisoning.

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    2. Vinegar, never in fifteen years of using the above method...
      if storing in a freezer, I would...
      because you don't post cooking sterilize if freezing.
      But your freezer must be vast...
      we'd need a four-drawer freezer for the sauce alone...
      then there's the varicose "Rats" and "Rats wi'Beans"
      We've three shelves in the cellier dedicated to all these...
      the freezers get fresh or blanched produce...
      usually tray frozen then bagged.
      Different people, different approaches...
      And the " "Baby Yellow Crooknecks in Lemon Boy tomato sauce" served with lardons from thin streaky bacon....
      oh, and more courgette... and spaetzles was lovely.

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  2. Your tomatoes are healthy. In Poland we didn't have the tomatoes blight, too but thanks the hot weather

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  3. Our tomato crop (just five plants, set nicely apart!) seems to have been hit by the mildew blight. I guess. Sunday, I had to cut off 2/3 of the branches, and re-stake what was left. I've had small green tomatoes on all of the plants for weeks... they just weren't growing or ripening. We had much more rain than usual this summer, and it rarely got above the 80s, so I guess things just weren't right for the plants this year.

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  4. oh yum! My plants are producing this year, but not much. Guess my vacation took a lot.... Tant pis!

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  5. You beat me to the punch... er, tomato portrait. Your maters look great and you can take credit for that, whereas I cannot.

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  6. I love garden fresh tomatoes! My neighbor has an organic garden and I get cherry tomatoes from her often. My favorite way to eat them is to slice them into halves, sprinkle with salt & pepper and chopped fresh basil, and a light drizzle of balsamic vinegar. I could make a meal of them!

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