This Patio Tomato Is The Biggest We've Had This Season
It's probably a safe bet to say that tomatoes are the cornerstone of most home gardens. And when us novice gardeners go in search of tomato plants or seeds in the spring, there are hundreds of varieties to choose from at the garden center. This year, I tried four varieties: Patio, Big Boy, Marglobe, and Roma. The Romas have produced the most, but the Patio has done best in both quantity and quality. The past week, I've spent a lot of time picking ripe tomatoes off the four plants.
Last night on The Food Network HD, Alton Brown's Good Eats show focussed on this vegetable...errrr....fruit. That's right, tomatoes are actually fruit. And to that, homegrown tomatoes are infinitely better tasting than store-bought tomatoes. Why? Couple reasons. Mainly, the tomatoes you buy in a grocery store are not fully ripened to their full taste-potential. Sure, they look ripe, but they're not. Commercial tomatoes are picked while still green on the vine. If commercial farms waited to pick ripened tomatoes, the fruit would never last the long journey from field to grocery store. So they pick them unripe. And they pretty much stay that way until they get to our grocery cart. Why are they red? According to Brown, the tomatoes are put in an air-tight room and exposed to ethylene gas. The gas is suppose to restart the ripening process, but the best it can do is just turn the tomatoes red.
So we know homegrown tomatoes are much better than store-bought. Now, what can you do to get the most out of your garden 'maters? We've listed a couple things in previous blogs, i.e. pruning, watering, feeding. Another good idea is to grow basil next to your plants. A lot of different types of plants grow well next to each other because of their symbiotic relationships. In this case, the scent coming off a basil plant will ward off pests on your tomato plants.
Also, when you pick your tomaotes, DO NOT put them in the fridge. Storing tomatoes below 50 degrees will begin to destroy the flavor and texture of the tomatoes. Store them in a cool place away from direct sunlight. Me? I prefer storing them in my stomach.
Last night on The Food Network HD, Alton Brown's Good Eats show focussed on this vegetable...errrr....fruit. That's right, tomatoes are actually fruit. And to that, homegrown tomatoes are infinitely better tasting than store-bought tomatoes. Why? Couple reasons. Mainly, the tomatoes you buy in a grocery store are not fully ripened to their full taste-potential. Sure, they look ripe, but they're not. Commercial tomatoes are picked while still green on the vine. If commercial farms waited to pick ripened tomatoes, the fruit would never last the long journey from field to grocery store. So they pick them unripe. And they pretty much stay that way until they get to our grocery cart. Why are they red? According to Brown, the tomatoes are put in an air-tight room and exposed to ethylene gas. The gas is suppose to restart the ripening process, but the best it can do is just turn the tomatoes red.
So we know homegrown tomatoes are much better than store-bought. Now, what can you do to get the most out of your garden 'maters? We've listed a couple things in previous blogs, i.e. pruning, watering, feeding. Another good idea is to grow basil next to your plants. A lot of different types of plants grow well next to each other because of their symbiotic relationships. In this case, the scent coming off a basil plant will ward off pests on your tomato plants.
Also, when you pick your tomaotes, DO NOT put them in the fridge. Storing tomatoes below 50 degrees will begin to destroy the flavor and texture of the tomatoes. Store them in a cool place away from direct sunlight. Me? I prefer storing them in my stomach.
"It's not a toooomah"
1 comment:
this is fascinating. I'm catching up on ur blog.
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