Tomato Season at the 49th Parallel

[Jenise]

Having up till then done little but wait, last week I picked six tomatoes from the five vines I planted from foot tall starts around June 1st, and so far this week I've picked about 12. Next week I should have a bumper crop.

It's September.

Tomato season at the 40th parallel is on its second wind. 14 tomato plants have survived our hot summer with crazy weather. I can't tell you how many tomatoes I have picked but 25 in one day is about what we do every few days. I have 35 cups of roasted tomato sauce in my freezer. Right now on my counter is a basket of red, yellow, big tomatoes, all sorts of cherry types, and some plum. I do not keep my tomatoes in the refer, and am finding that they are not lasting well. So I throw them in for roasting when they get the slightest wrinkle. Many of my vines are dying off but the plant keeps giving me ripe tomatoes. Amazing to see the process. I cheer them on every morning. Usually my plants last into October, not this year. But then, everything about our yard is different this year.

So far have havested four Brandywines from six plants. Also looking at a bumber crop next week!!!

What a crummy tomato season in this tiny corner of the Garden State -- and I haven't been very impressed with those on offer at the farmer's market in Ridgewood. Don't know what the problem was really, but I'm specializing in small green marbles this year.

Can't wait for frost so I can pickle them and forget about it. Worst year in 60+ years of growing these fruit/vegetables.

Karen, are you leaving some stem still attached when you pick them? They last far longer fresh that way.

Sage advice. Vine-ripened tomatoes are absolutely delectable when fully ripened after being picked with the stems still attached. Whatever the biological reason for this, the end result is well worth the persistence of leaving the fruit and vine together.

I don't know what parallel I'm on, but I've got tomatoes coming out the wazoo.

I'm actually getting sick of them, if you can believe that. A recent heat spike really had the plants pumping - in fact, I'm going to have to go out and pick some more this morning.

The other night I made sauce with the fresh romas. Just the tomatoes, butter, onion,salt,pepper, basil and a little wine. I cooked up some pasta and threw some sliced zucchini and some cauliflower in the water, and tossed with the fresh sauce.
Talk about dinner from the garden........

Just the tomatoes, butter, onion,salt,pepper, basil and a little wine.

It doesn't get any better!!!

Carl

From east-central Wisconsin: I've never had better tomatoes so I'm taking advantage of the excess and processing them into marinara and freezing. Also am freezing whole, raw, unpeeled tomatos to drop into soups when needed - a ridiculously easy way to get fresh tomato taste in winter soups. Just thinking of the tinny taste of cooked, canned tomatoes makes me want to run out and buy another freezer .
Also having a bumper crop of beans - Romano and purple french - what is unusual is that they are now setting a second round of blossoms. 8 # blanched and frozen so far.
Another freezer and vacuum sealer are on my wish list.

I'm actually getting sick of them, if you can believe that.

No, I can't believe that. It's impossible!

Almost too many tomatoes at this point. Fortunately we have the book with that title.

Bob,

ITA...NJ had a terrible year for tomatoes. Fortunately, I had my own plants as well as my neighbor. But the Farmer's Market Tomatoes were just terrible. I am not sure if you read the Star Ledger, but did you see this article about a month ago?

http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/in ... xml&coll=1

The article starts:

Special tomato crop gone without a taste
Friday, August 24, 2007
BY JOHN HOLL
Star-Ledger Staff
Every August tomato lovers gather at Rutgers University's Snyder Research and Extension Farm in Hunterdon County for the Great Tomato Tasting, a celebration of New Jersey's most famous crop.

In recent years the annual rite has attracted more than 1,000 people from all over the region, eager to sink their teeth into the farm's extensive variety of heirloom and hybrid tomatoes.

I have been to this Co-op a few times to have my soil and plants tested for different diseases, and it's so nice there. What a disappointment that must have been!

I have 2 tomato plants that were started later in the season that have flowers but haven't fruited yet. I am wondering if it's too late for them to start producing or if I am going to get a few more fruits.

I grew bucket tomatoes on my deck, one plant for each large pickle bucket. I used cages because I had planted inderminate tomatoes. I've been harvesting fruit from these beauties since late July...........

Must be the warm weather and great growing conditions way down here in Virginia Beach!! Come on down and visit 36 degrees 45 minutes!!