Tomatoes

[Dave Wofford]

One of my favorite things is to grate the tomatoes on a box grater, drain it, mince some garlic and spread it on baguette with good olive oil and coarse salt a la pan con tomate. Perfect with an espresso in the morning., or lunch or dinner.

I like the sounds of this, will try out this weekend...
which will also see a ride out to Efland for Tomatopalooza Welcome to Tomatopalooza ™ - Home

My current favorite is Valencia yellow/orange tomatoes. (which unfortunately I am not graowing and so am buying at the farmers market, next year will have out the back door)

[Too Tall]

Dewd thank you did not realize it was something I could buy.
Found this: Aunt Ruby's German Green -Tomato Seeds
Yes?

[billrick]

I got the blight last year, so I'm giving my tomato patch a rest this summer.

Last week, I had dinner at Crooks Corner in Chapel Hill, NC. For an appetizer, they had sliced heirloom tomoatoes with a dab of mayo on the side. The waiter gave me the nod when I started using the bread basket to make tiny tomato sandwiches. Dang that was good stuff.

They also had dish called Red Rice that I just reproduced with fair success last night . . . sauteed onions and garlic, added 1.5 cups Carolina Gold rice to brown, 3 cups chicken stock/water, cooked rice covered til done. Then I took about 4 lbs of heirloom tomatoes from the farmers market, parboiled and skinned, cored, and pulped. Added 4 T of rice wine viengar to the pulp and juice for a touch extra acidity and then mixed with the rice. I let it rest and then served with seared salmon and a broccoli souflee.

Normally I wouldn't cook tomatoes in the summer but I carried them home kind of rough (by bike, this is Vsalon) and they were beaten up. Yum.

[WadePatton]

Dewd thank you did not realize it was something I could buy.
Found this: Aunt Ruby's German Green -Tomato Seeds
Yes?

certainly. I've not purchased from that outfit, but have perused their offerings before.

and get some Arkansas Traveler.
available here: Pink & Pink-Red : Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Saving the Past for the Future

but i don't see the ARGG. (at SESE)

Mom had some trouble with seeds from Totally Tomatoes this year. They didn't sprout or sprouted really late compared to other store-bought seeds. Sure, they'll replace the seeds, but that involves committing sprouting space _again_ to a potential under-performer.

I'm going to try saving seeds this year-never have.

and i have an all-organic/heirloom/commune type garden nursery not too far away...makes it too easy to have 37 varieties (tomatoes or peppers). i'm interested in all of 'em, but only need so many and only have so much time. Great White, TC Jones, Arkansas Traveler, BrandEva where all new to me this year. All good fruit, but the GW is having vine issues, and that might limit its utility here.

Good point about blight and moving things around. I'm used to a "non-lethal" blight that makes the lower sections of the plants look like hell, but so long as new growth is sprouting and fruit is setting, i don't worry 'bout it.

Have had more blossom-end rot this year than ever. not enough to cause alarm.

The trick is to find the best-tasting varieties that will handle your climate/micro-climate. My vines would be over 8' tall now if I hadn't been topping them.

in my seed collection but not grown yet: Abraham Lincoln and Mule Team.

[Too Tall]

La de da

Goes with dinner: Big slices of crusty bread drizzled with balsamic/lemon/EVO/salt, with charred broccoli rabe and fresh chicken sausages. Marinated mozzarella balls would be over kill in this sandwich...think I'll do it ;) No pics of the sandwiches yet.

[Dave Wofford]

Tomatos.jpg

Rode out to Tomatopalooza in Efland this weekend.
Sampled a bunch of heirlooms while strolling the gorgeous grounds of some friends who hosted the endeavor, I'm going to grow some Anna Russian (reds) next year.

Haven't checked out the site fully yet but I think you can buy seeds from Craig here at his site.
  - Welcome/News/Donate
Stones.jpgFireplace.jpg

[RIHans]

I teach at-risk youth Culinary Arts at a RI state facility. We produce products from local RI farmers, that get sold
at farmers markets, that funds a cooking program for youth on probation...Life skills, and some walking around money.

We are working with a large local farm to do...wait for it

Pickled Green Tomatoes. In pre-production now...but when the customer in Boston approves, 2500 lbs!

To you southern boys and girls...I never had this before. It's de-lish!

[Too Tall]

Nice work RIhans.
Have you ever thought about some other super easy to grow, low pain threshold for prep. products? I've got one, horseradish. I had a dream, not kidding I really had this dream about selling fresh horseradish. Messed up right?

Growing this or purchase as a bulk root crop is inexpensive.

The prep. is a cold process so no worries about killing anyone and I'd start with plain peppered vinegar.

Thoughts?

[RIHans]

Go figure...You want horseradish.

Kidding Supreme Leader after that other guy.

I am the production facility..Farm Fresh RI is my master...and a kind master.

2500 lbs of tomatoes is 'gonna teach all of us some organizational skills, the end game,,,kids who need goals.

I just keep all the balls in the air, positive feedback, ice cream as needed.

[maunahaole]

Toots, try some picked daikon as a start.

[Too Tall]

Toots, try some picked daikon as a start.

10-4.

Thanks Hans that's why you are the man.

[WadePatton]

Good interview on Tomatoes on yesterday's "Splendid Table", which may have been a repeat program. August 4, 2012 | Recipes, Listings and Audio | The Splendid Table with Lynne Rossetto Kasper | American Public Media

Tomatoland, Barry Estabrook (4 August program)

Barry Estabrook talks about the origin of the plant, the slave labor* in the tomato and the conditions and chemicals used to produce the flavorless pink TRO's found at the soopermarket.

*Literally-cases have been successfully prosecuted and IIRC over 1000 folks released from bondage in this country. But of course, no one will believe that slave/prison labor feeds our "container ship habit". And those folks will still "unbelieve" what dude said in the interview, little stuff like pregnant women forced to work in the fields where workers are routinely sprayed with the chemicals that make tomato growing in sand and humidity possible-then giving birth to deformed babies...(in the usa, all this)

I never buy shipped tomatoes ever anyway. Complete and total lack of flavor was my reason, now i have another one.

Call me cynical but I'd be surprised if most supermarket produce isn't tainted by such practices.

Grow your own takes on a whole 'nuther level eh?

Victory Garden** of the invisible war (war on...take your pick).

Sorry for the derail, but kinda shocking what mass farming has done with the La Pomme D'Amour.

**Citizens were encouraged to grow as much of their own foodstuffs as possible in order to reduce civilian demand/shortages during war time (back when we had a different kind of war). At some point these were called "Victory Gardens". I'm not that old you know.

[Too Tall]

Somebody from Texas / Louisana please educate us on the Vietnamese / Thai culture wrt their backyard growing habits. What little I've learned so far takes what you are saying, Wade, to new meaning. They are the most organic eat fresh and local MoFos I know who are not full fledged commies.

Here you go, this is part of what I'm talking about: http://curate.tumblr.com/post/167796...leans-la-after

[caleb]

Somebody from Texas / Louisana please educate us on the Vietnamese / Thai culture wrt their backyard growing habits.

Not from the south, but I think this happens all over...

The woman that runs the Chinese restaurant in town has a running feud with the city's landscape crew. In the summer, the landscape crew maintains decorative flowerboxes on the sidewalks around town, including in front of the Chinese restaurant. The woman who runs the Chinese restaurant thinks there's plenty of extra space in the planters, so she plants green onions and leeks between the flowers. The city crew then comes by and "weeds" the planters, leading to an endless cycle of replanting and weeding. Probably not the backyard gardening you were thinking of, but I think it's pretty funny. I also like this woman because when someone in town wrote here a bad check she hunted her down and gave her a beatdown on the sidewalk. When she was in court she couldn't understand why she was being charged with a crime rather than the bad check writer: "but SHE is the thief!"

Also, the only way I eat goat is through another Asian backyard farming misunderstanding. My wife's dad is a first generation Filipino immigrant, and her Filipino grandparents are involved in helping all sorts of Asian immigrants get resettled in the MSP area. Lots of people from southeast Asia end up moving to the first ring suburbs into a house with a nice yard. Growing grass isn't very high on their list of priorities. Most either turn the whole thing into a giant garden, or they fence it and fill it with goats. When the neighbors complain and animal control shows up, these bewildered newcomers have to figure out what to do with their goats. And that's where my wife's grandmother comes in. They live north of the city on 50 acres or so. This 87 year old woman promises that she'll take the goats to live on her farm, and the suburbanites whose goats are being evicted readily agree. There is no farm, but I have been to some really fun goat roasts at their place.

[Eddie]

Caleb, what's the name of this Chinese restaurant? I need to file it away in case I'm ever driving across the norther plains again. I'd like to patronize this woman's business.

I identify with these folks. We live in a row house and every single square inch of dirt, front and back, is being used to grow vegetables. Took three weekend's work to gut the planters of thick weeds and condition the soil. We even have volunteer tomato plants growing in the compost.

[Eddie]

Caleb, what's the name of this Chinese restaurant? I need to file it away in case I'm ever driving across the norther plains again. I'd like to patronize this woman's business.

I identify with these folks. We live in a row house and every single square inch of dirt, front and back, is being used to grow vegetables. Took three weekend's work to gut the planters of thick weeds and condition the soil. We even have volunteer tomato plants growing in the compost.

[caleb]

Eddie,

PM me if you're coming through and need the address.

[WadePatton]

Somebody from Texas / Louisana please educate us on the Vietnamese / Thai culture wrt their backyard growing habits. What little I've learned so far takes what you are saying, Wade, to new meaning. They are the most organic eat fresh and local MoFos I know who are not full fledged commies.

Here you go, this is part of what I'm talking about: crt, Xuyen Pham

We ate at a tiny (by US standards) Thai joint (24 seats) for mine and Mom's b-day last. every planter 'round the place was growing peppers and other such. brilliant i say. saw this in TX too-also "immigrants". one veggie per flowerbox shud be a minimum yo.

[rec head]

Cooking my first batch of tomato sauce for canning right now and it smells goooood. I make a really simple sauce for canning that I can modify later when I'm ready to use it. This will be our 3rd and probably best year so far.

[rec head]

I know this sounds crazy but we are still eating tomatoes out of our garden! October 28 and my salad will have home grown tomatoes... Awesome.