Yummy!! I'll be right over, lol. I also have some tomatoes all ripening at the same time, and I only have one Beefsteak plant and one cherry! I will be making homemade Salsa...bring the chips!

Enjoy!

I am tomato challenged . Even though everyone has told me that I can grow tomatoes and has given me plants to enable my gardening passion - still not much luck .

I've learned that it might be better for me to just know people who have success growing tomatoes and live vicariously through them .

Thank you Silvia for the beautiful pictures . Wished I lived closer to you . I really would be right over to enjoy that beautiful tart . Is that fresh basil on top ?

Nice Lot of Tom's you have there...
Thank You for Sharing the Recipe... I'm SO Going to have to try this one

I guess tomatoes or feast or famine. Luckily my first year at growing tomatoes seems to be feast with some qualifications. I picked 31 lbs last week. That's the good news. The bad news is that they are not ripening in the top 1/3 except for the cherries. I hope this was due to the late freezes when they were at blooming stage. The other bad news is that my beefmasters in 2 different BWC's have had blossom end rot.Calcium seems to be clearing the end rot. None of my others have this problem. Still have a lot of tomatoes growing. My latest Al's mix modified 4-2-2 (fines:peat:perlite) and the Ed mix (45% cow compost:45% peat: 10% perlite in double 5 gal BWB's with brandywines are looking super with double the number of tomatoes and larger size >5in dia in the Ed mix. Both showing none of the earlier stress of brandywines in organic rich soil (Florida sand )

bernie, hope to meet more of you in Vero on sat.

Silvia - very nice, too late for us to come over today though :-(

Bernie - My round-two with the Beefmaster plants went very well, almost done now though with about 20lbs left, then we'll be in tomato withdrawal :-(

Tom

puglvr
Homemade salsa is one of my favorites! I will be making that tomorrow.

Mary
If you were living closer to me, you would always be a very welcome guest.
Tart came out really good, it was big too. We shared it with the neighbors.
And yes, it is fresh basil on top and pesto on the bottom.

ninecrow
You will enjoy the recipe. It is really easy to make. We made our own flaky crust!
Hope that you try it and like it.

Bernie
It seems that you are doing great with your tomatoes. Remember, everyday is a learning experience and a lot of experimentation going on.
I had the same problem that you had of the tomatoes not ripening on top. Only on a few Brandy Boys. Other tomatoes were fine.
Have a lot of fun at Vero and meet a lot of garden friends!

Tom
The tart was so big that we had to share it, it is best when freshly done. It was made with the Beefmaster, Kellog's Breakfast and Brad's Blackheart.
My neighbor said the tart was so good and the zucchini pickles too. His wife said that he even drunk the liquid from the jar. I said I hope that it didn't give him acid reflux, all that vinegar!
My best tool in the kitchen is the mandoline! I do pickles in no time.

Silvia

Too many tomatoes? No such thing! :)
I'll be trying your tart recipe for sure. Looks deeelish!

I'm between tomatoe harvests right now and bought some at the veggie stand. I was sadly disappointed. You do get used to a certain quality 'mater when you grow your own!

Gatormomx2: You are not alone! My mother has the same problem with tomatoes. I've given her seeds, seedlings, large tomato plants - she kills them all and I cannot figure out how she is doing it. She swears she waters them enough, but I have my doubts...

I gave up and now I just give her and my Dad my extra tomatoes now.

I can't seem to grow zuchinni or summer squash to save my life. We all have our gardening challenges!

i usually have good tomato luck, but have lost so many this year to some varmints [almost all of them, actually] that i am getting very discouraged. i love your variety-- a basket of many colors is a beautiful thing :)

shelbey

saintpfla
You are right about the tomatoes, you can never have too many! lol
From the every day harvest, some are for us and some for others.
If you have time, try to make the crust yourself, it is easy and better tasting.
If you make the recipe only for one, you can substitute with a pita bread, it would be like a mini pizza for one. Yummy!

shelbey
The tomatoes have all different flavors, it is fun to try them. Some are meaty and rich, others are fruity, especially the bright color ones, the blacks have earthy, smoky flavors! And the perfect herb for them is basil. We did combine a good variety of basil for the recipe.

Silvia

I must have had over 700 tomatoes from my five plants this past season! I cut up a lot of them and put them in freezer bags for spaghetti sauce and yes, made homemade salsa out of lots of the fresh ones! Not to mention numerous BLT's! I have the recipe for the salsa if you want it. Taste's delicious! Can't leave out 'stuffed tomatoes.' Have that recipe, too.

Very happy to hear about your abundant crop.

Sheri

Sil, your pics are always so mouthwatering! I also love the very different textures and flavours the various tomatoes have. I share them with a co-worker and we make an EVENT out of sampling flavours. Sweet, tart, citrusy always been there but I have read about 'smokey' and until this year I have never consciously noticed this very interesting infusion in some fruits. This tomato season has been a blast for me.

Sheri
It is nice that you had a big crop of tomatoes! I do the same thing you do, cut them up and put them in the freezer. So, when we don't have tomatoes, I can always use the frozen. They are good as we all know in soups, chili and of course spaghetti sauce.

Today I made Ratatouille, using everything from the garden: Eggplants, peppers, onions, garlic, zucchini and of course tomatoes!

It will be nice if you share your recipes for salsa and stuffed tomatoes with us. Then, we can all try it. We can never have too many recipes!

Cindee
Thank you. You are always so kind.
The funny thing about tomatoes is that everybody have their favorites, likes and dislikes.
I found out that I like most of them, only a few I don't like. And it is usually when they have super thick skins. Even then I roast them and they are fine.
And when they are not too pretty or are cracked, I make sauce.
In other words, I use them all. As long as they are homegrown! :o)

Silvia

gatormomx2,
I wonder if you have something in your soil, like nematodes, that's screwing you up. I'd say, don't give up.

Try cherries and romas. I've found my little newbie efforts at those have been pretty consistently good. I've been branching out into other varieties, but by the end of the season of my organic (read neglectful) garden, all I have left is romas and cherries and a random yellow that's kind of bland like a roma, but really spices up the look, if not the taste, of salsa.

And, for the first year ever, I harvested pounds of tomatoes this year. Most of them weren't individually impressive _ a few tasted great but were small, a few were bland, and also small, every so often I got a really big tasty one _ but when I had a huge bowl of homegrown tomatoes, my condo-living friends sure were impressed, and insisted they tasted better than publix!

Silvia---That tart looks fantastic. I will be making that recipe for sure. I have lots of tomatoes to use up.

Looking forward to the stuffed tomato recipe. Funny thing, just this evening my husband asked me if I would make some stuffed tomatoes with the big ones.

Christine

Cindee,

Hi. Sheri here. Those were the tomato plants from Ricky's Swap last October. The plant you gave me did great! Wish I could have given you some of the maters. It's sort of on its 'last legs' now although still struggling to produce a few blossoms. I'm sure as the heat and humidity increase all these babies will finally say 'good-bye.' But I think it may have been my best year ever for tomatoes. I did save seed from the Goose Creek and will start the new plants in September. And yes, I will post my recipes on here in the next message.

Continued happy gardening, Cindee. :-)

Susannah

Would you like to try some tomato seeds that I saved? I can send them to you. No need to trade. Let me know...

Christine

I did this recipe last week, we liked it. Maybe you and your hubby will like too.

Silvia

Here is a link that might be useful: Roasted Tomatoes

Thanks for sharing that Recipe... Another one I'm going to have to try... *Wink*

Nine, dearie, you are all over the Florida forum...how's the Amaryllis doing? About done on your side of the pond? Here too except for a few special ones. If you are so into tomatoes, please email me. I have a mess of seeds I can share with you. I Might even throw in some unusual Amaryllis seed combos, too! I so enjoyed England's gardens when I twice visited the UK. Home-gardeners are so creative in your neck of the woods. Cheers m'dear!!

Fine Thanks Cindee... My Unique's Huge with 10 Leaves, President Johnson is Still Going... Growing that is Flowers are all Done unless they decide to Flower again...

You Were in England... Wish I had Known you then perhaps we could of Met up... Please let me know if you are over here again. Thanks

Sorry for Hyjacking your Thread whgille *Blush*

Hi ninecrow

It is all good, we are just sharing some nice conversation, everybody is invited.

Anytime you want to try a new veggie, fruit or recipe...We can share our experiences or seeds. :o)

Silvia

We have lived in S Fl for 25 years and never grew anything but basil. Was at H.D. a few weeks back and noticed they marked down quite a few of the Bonnie plants. I grabbed 3 hybrids & 3 heirlooms and got 12" pots. They have been growing about a month in a mix of Potting soil & peat moss. We also snagged 6 different hot peppers for $10.00. We put $1.95 cages on the tomatoes and the some of the plants are up to 5'. Do you trim the tops or leave them grow? Only one plant, a Bush Goliath is determinate and is aprox. 30" tall. Getting LOTS of fruit happening. Next time we will follow some of the tips posted here on the growing medium & pot size. Can I post pictures from my computer, or do I need URL's?

We love Puttanesca! Peel, seed and chop your Toms. Set aside. Chop several garlic cloves and toast in a generous amount of olive oil in a pan. Add a can of anchovies till they dissolve. (Optional)

Throw in a jar of capers, chopped green or black or both olives. Then add your Toms and heat through (or cook down).

Serve with pasta, romano cheese and a crusty bread.

This is a VERY salty dish. We soak our capers, olives and sometimes the anchovies in a few changes of water for about an hour before we cook. Makes a big difference. Some chili and some black pepper is good, too.

I never throw away toms now. They get peeled, seeded and heated for the freezer until I have enough.

coastal-tony
I am glad to hear that you are venturing growing tomatoes and peppers.
Growing your own food it gives you a sense of pride, no matter you start little, it is all good.

I don't trim the tops, I let them grow.

On posting the pictures, Kate (solstice) explains better than I can do. I include the link for you.

thonotorose
Wonderful recipe! I will sure try it. Especially when I can use all the non pretty tomatoes from the rain.
Thanks for sharing with us.

Here is a link that might be useful: photo instructions

Thanks Silvia and thonotorose for the tomato recipes. I need all of the good ones I can get! My counter top is covered with tomatoes to use up. This week I made 2 half batches of a marinated "sundried" tomatoes recipe that someone posted a few weeks ago. I used a dehydrator instead of the oven.

Christine

Hi guys,

I'm finally posting my salsa recipe. I think you will really like it. Some people like cilantro and some don't, so this ingredient is optional:

3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 small cloves garlic, minced
3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 hot chile peppers, serrano, or jalapeno, finely chopped (more or less to taste)
2 to 3 tablespoons minced cilantro
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons lime juice
salt and pepper

Preparation: Put chopped onion and garlic in a strainer; pour two cups boiling water over them then let drain thoroughly. Discard water. Cool.

Combine onions and garlic with chopped tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours to blend flavors. Makes about 2 cups of salsa.

Please let me know how you like this. Of course, I eat it with tortilla chips. It can also be spooned over other Mexican and Spanish dishes.

Enjoy!

Sheri

Watching them grow is a quite a treat, but the best part is when it's time to eat! The plants are 5' tall. I have been using Ortho insecticidal soap about every four days to help keep the critters at bay. Any other suggestions?

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Web

Lets try a picture

Here is a link that might be useful:

Christine
Tomatoes are so versatile! No wonder they are people's favorite to grow. We are eating them almost daily in a variety of recipes.

I made this salad recently and came out good. If anybody wants to try it, I included the link. Today, I am thinking tomato soup...

Sheri
Thanks for the salsa recipe, I will try it, I love salsa!
I lived in Arizona for a while, and they had contest for salsa all the time. I have tried so many...

I make mine by taste, trying for flavor and adding ingredients as I go along.
When I used cilantro, I also add cumin and chili powder. Sometimes black beans or corn or both.
When using parsley, I also add hot and sweet peppers, fresh oregano and basil.
Salsa makes a super fast chili when added to ground beef or turkey.

coastal-tony
I don't use Ortho, but I am sure it works to keep the bugs away. Tomato is a kind of crop that has to be sprayed to have a harvest.
I do use Spinosad, when this is not available BT will work, you can get it at HD.
I could not see the link.

Silvia

Here is a link that might be useful: tomato salad

coastal-tony

The link worked this time. Nice looking tomato plants. They look healthy!
It is a good idea to include your zone, this way we can help you better. I am in zone 9b close to Orlando.

Silvia