It’s hard to conjure green in January. While it dominates the landscape for most of the year, in mid-winter it is a fugitive from the cold, hidden beneath a thick blanket of snow. We’ve just had our third major blizzard of the season here at Stonegate Farm, and only the fence lines now mark the faint contours of productive land.
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Hurricanes Irene and Lee came and went last month and ripped through the farm with blustery, sodden winds and a muddy swill of rain that’s still running down the drive.
Newly planted seeds of Fall arugula, snap peas, and mesclun greens were washed out of their beds, heading toward the Hudson. Chickens stood out in the wind and rain, transfixed by the chaos, their pouffy feathers matted like leaves. Bees hummed in damp confusion around the hive.
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In a muddy drizzle last week, we harvested the last of the oak leaf and lolla rosa lettuce, tilled under the remaining rain-stunted eggplant and peppers, and yanked out the tangled sprawl of tomatoes in the orchard.
The normally solemn end-of-season ritual was buoyed by some cranking iTunes, although “This is the End” by the Doors didn’t do much to lift the mood.
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Could you imagine where the pizza industry would be today without tomato sauce? The top two condiments in the United States, ketchup and salsa, are tomato-based. It is safe to say that the tomato is an all-American culinary entity, a piece of Americana sharing ranks with apple pie, maple syrup, and that staple of staples, good ole corn. We've become very familiar with the pale, mild-flavored hybrid tomatoes in the supermarkets, the thick canned pastes, and those cute little cherries at your local salad bar. But, for those of us who really love tomatoes, and are looking for something a little more unique or very specific, we grow our own. I am going to attempt to briefly cover the basics of tomato varieties that gardeners should be familiar with.
Determinate vs. Indeterminate
Many growers have heard these terms applied to a few different fruits. These words refer to the specific plant's fruit production habit.
Determinate tomato varieties produce one large crop and then produce little or no fruit for the rest of the season. They are usually shorter than indeterminate varieties and have a fixed height. So, there is no need to stake them. These are often paste or plum tomato varieties.
Indeterminate or the vining varieties are going to be the most common variety for home gardening. They produce a continuous crop all summer until frost, and then they will start to die back.
Tomato Varieties
Your standard or slicing tomatoes are the common medium-sized round tomatoes. These will most often be used in soups or sliced for salads. You've seen these in six-pack trays at your local supermarket.
Beef Steak are big tomatoes, some up to 2 pounds. These are the ones that, when sliced, fit sandwiches and burgers very nicely. Beef Steak varieties are also great for stuffing and baking. They are rarely found in supermarkets because their size and tenderness makes them more trouble than they are worth for big retailers. However, they are a home garden dream, a big tasty return on the simple investment in a tiny packet of seeds. Some popular cultivars of this variety are 'Better Boy', 'Big Beef', and 'Park's Whopper'.
Cherry tomatoes are very small tomatoes, ranging from barely bigger than your finger tip to the size of a golf ball. They are often very sweet and perfect by themselves just as a snack. They are the sublime salad tomato because they add lots of flavor, and you don't have to slice them. The elongated smaller and sweeter grape tomatoes are also a tasty variation of the cherry tomato. Cherry tomato plants produce a large amount of fruit, so you don't have to plant many to get plenty of tomatoes.
Paste or plum tomatoes are, as the name suggests, often used for canning and sauces. They work well for this because they are less juicy than other varieties, they don't have a core, and they have far less seeds than other varieties. They are usually small and slightly elongated or pear-shaped. They are often lumped together as Roma tomatoes, which is actually just one cultivar of this tomato variety.
Choose Your Tomato Wisely
Breeders have had fun with this popular garden plant. They come in all sizes and colors, from pink and striped to almost black. But, the best way to pick your tomato is to grow for your needs. If you want sandwich tomatoes, grow Beef Steaks. If you love tomatoes in your salad, try some different cherry varieties. If your garden is the source for most of your canned goods, you should probably try to grow a few paste tomatoes. Growing your own tomatoes will give you power over selection and power over growing methods. It is cheaper than than buying them at the supermarket, and it can be much more rewarding. Have a good time in your garden, and grow the tomato that's just right for you.
During the long, hot days of summer, the last factor we think about is Christmas looking. After all, that's a task we typically relegate to the month of December, proper? But the truth is, the job of shopping for Christmas items is something numerous men and women loathe. Parking lots are crowded, malls are jam packed, and finding just the suitable reward for that unique someone can take hours, or even days. What if there was a method to get some of your Christmas items ready in the course of the summertime and place them away in storage so they'll be ready to go when the vacation season rolls close to? Before you grab your keys and jump within the car to go purchasing now, stop and take a look around your personal home and garden. There may possibly be some reward possibilities lurking appropriate under your personal nose which are home made, thoughtful, and really inexpensive.
A lot of of us raise vegetable gardens in the summer time, and we wind up with far more recent develop than we can possibly use. As opposed to letting it rot on the vine or giving it all away to neighbors, think about canning. Many vegetables like refreshing green beans and tomatoes may be canned and then given away as gifts at the holidays. Recent bell peppers is often built into relishes, and cucumbers may be pickled and canned. Cans of refreshing produce also make wonderful hostess's gifts when you are invited to holiday parties. Top off the jar having a colorful square of fabric and tie with a ribbon to make the present actually attractive and special.
In case you get pleasure from cooking, take into account utilizing your refreshing produce to make other things like home made spaghetti sauce, fresh salsa, or pickle relish that could be canned. For a actually great touch, put a couple jars of spaghetti sauce into a gift basket after which consist of some related products such as a pound of pasta along with a loaf of contemporary Italian bread. Other great touches may possibly incorporate an Italian cookbook, a bottle of good red wine or gourmet olive oil, and even some refreshing Parmesan cheese. The thought of themed present baskets based on your home made canned goods can be expanded into other areas, too. As an example, if you've created some refreshing salsa, contain products in your present basket like tortilla chips, margarita mix, plus a bottle of great quality tequila.
Homemade items from the garden don't have to be limited to only vegetables. In case you grow fruits such as blueberries, cherries, or raspberries, contemplate making homemade jams or pie fillings that is often canned for vacation gifts. Nice additions to round out a gift basket with these goods could contain a new pie dish, or some do-it-yourself bread for toasting. Fresh fruits can also be built into syrups that may be given as presents along with some selfmade pancake mix. Furthermore, if you grow fresh herbs just like parsley or basil, take into account producing recent pesto at the end of the summertime and canning it into little jars to give as items.
Related Post: Homemade Christmas Gifts
The English word tomato comes from the Spanish tomatl, first appearing in print in 1595. A member of the deadly nightshade family, tomatoes were erroneously thought to be poisonous (although the leaves are poisonous) by Europeans who were suspicious of their bright, shiny fruit. Native versions were small, like cherry tomatoes, and most likely yellow rather than red.
The tomato is native to western South America and Central America. In 1519, Cortez discovered tomatoes growing in Montezuma's gardens and brought seeds back to Europe where they were planted as ornamental curiosities, but not eaten
Start with great tomatoes and the right cut. You'll get the best results if you buy ripe tomatoes at a farm stand or farmers' market or get them from your own garden. They'll be the tastiest and juiciest, since they've been picked at their ripest. How you cut the tomatoes is important, too. A half-inch dice is the perfect size, because it will give you a juicy sauce while maintaining the integrity of the tomatoes.
Add a good amount of olive oil. The oil serves a double purpose here. First, it combines with the juices drawn by the salt to make the sauce. No oil means no sauce, just tomato juice. Second, a good fruity extra-virgin olive oil will lend its rich flavor to the dish, giving it lots of body and depth.
Toss the sauce with hot pasta. This is key: The heat of just-cooked pasta helps release the flavors in the tomatoes and creates a better integrated dish than if you mixed the sauce with cold pasta. Please send your review to Indo Munch
The high acidic content of the tomato makes it a prime candidate for canning, which is one of the main reasons the tomato was canned more than any other fruit or vegetable by the end of the nineteenth century. For more information http://www.indomunch.com
