Posted on 01/14/2008 8:44:44 AM PST by T-Bird45
Here I am, daydreaming about spring, itching to plant tomato seeds in my greenhouse, when, suddenly, I come across this gem on FR.
I want some of these seeds. Ping your tomato loving friends, this is great news for those who love good homegrown tomatos.
I've been told that they were genetically developed to have thicker skin so they will ship better. I'm sure glad they ship better, but they sacrificed the flavor....nearly all of it...in the trade-off.
I grew up in Iowa and fondly remember the garden tomatoes we grew. I even enjoy the aroma of the tomato plant that you get when picking them.
Thank heaven for the farmer's markets where you can still get the real thing.
My wife never used lo like tomatoes and would always avoid them, but when we were in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, we bought a grocery sack of fresh tomatoes at their excellent farmer's market. I talked her into trying one, sliced with a wee bit of salt to bring out the flavor.
It was love at first bite for those real tomatoes, but she still will not even bother the commercial tomatoes.
Cali does grow the best oranges in the U.S., however, among other products.
One thing I do miss from my two years in Seattle was the Washington state Asparagus.
Bacon and tomato go well together, but in recent years I have become a dedicated fan of a tomato salad mix that has been known to have big applause.
I know that everyone has had this while out, but perhaps my particular blend is worth consideration.
Fino - 10Yr old Balsamic
Crumbled Bue Cheese
Spray a little tiny bit of Olive oil thinned with Champaign vinegar.
Fresh Ground Pepper
Fine Chopped Sweet Red Onion
Fresh Basil Leafs crushed and shredded by hand then chopped more finely.
Tomato slices, perhaps a little thinner than in the resturant versions.
Cut the tomato slices in thirds to match a large bite size.
Perpare in the reverse order of the ingrediant list above. and serve fresh.
Make extra and call me.
Hey Eric,
I used to live in Kimberling City Mo., in the Ozarks. I grew the most wonderful tomatos there. I found out nearby Galena, the entire area, used to be famous for tomato canneries. The soil there is perfect for growing tomatos. I live in Tennessee now, and have grown tomatos in several states, but never any like I grew in the Ozarks.
When I go to the farmer's market my kids just start eating the tomatoes straight off the pile, all gone except the stem bit, except one of the kids eats that too. The owner gets a kick out of it every time. I guess kids devouring fresh tomatoes as if they were candy is a rare sight.
Whoops, I left out the capers.
Good capers, but rinse them twice and use two to three times as many as you think is normal. LOL.
I’ll admit I’m no tomatoe fan, but what passes for a tomatoe at the supermarket is disgusting.
Picked while green, placed in rooms filled with ammonia or whatever it isto make the skins red and then sold as vine ripened...
Digusting.
Asparagus? Icck.
We got several cherry tomato plants one year. The yield was so high I got frustrated trying to keep up with picking, so I just started sending the kids out every couple days. Unfortunately, they never actually returned with any tomatoes.
Oh! You have a greenhouse! I am green with envy. LOL
-10 degrees here in Minnesota this morning and I’m dreaming of gardening. I started basil, cilantro and parsley this weekend but they have to be content on the windowsill. Sigh.
Yum Yum
Now you got me salivating for tomato.
Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
I love to make "baconless" BLT's just as you describe.
And there is something special about the tomato-mayo combination of flavors...a snack marriage made in heaven. And if you are a man with an enlarged prostate (I've read where that's about half of us over 50), the lycopene in tomatoes, the very stuff that makes them red, has health benefits for the prostate as well as a lot of other internal workings of the body
OK, it's getting to me now. There is a farmer's market about two miles from here. Thank goodness I don't have to crawl on my hands and knees to go there and get my "maters" (Southern for "tomatoes"), but I would if that's what it took to score a few nice ones for lunch.
We have plenty of heat and water from Lake of the Ozarks but no dirt. Plenty of rocks if you need some.
I’m with your wife. I *love* good fresh tomatoes, but can’t stand most commercial ones, at least raw. I generally ask for “no tomato” if I order a sandwich or burger because I don’t trust that they’ll have ones I find edible.
There are few things nastier than mushy, tasteless tomatoes...and few things better than a really good fresh one, sliced with a little salt, or on bread with a bit of mayo and salt and pepper!
Rats! I was hoping it was an heirloom variety, which I prefer.
I grow over 30 different heirlooms. Black, purple, red, pink, green, yellow, orange, and stripped. I can them, roast and freeze them, and sundried. I don’t remember the last time I bought a store tom. I don’t usually eat them in restraunts.
Mmm...asparagus. And you’re right, it’s good here - and comparatively cheap!
I understand now why my mom had such a hard time with the available produce when they moved from Portland to rural Vermont. Granted, it’s better there now than it was then, but even so...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.