Saturday, April 25, 2009

...tomato, tomahto

anyway you say it...
[or slice it...]



I say, "yummm"...



if...[and it's a BIG one...]

if...
the tomatoes are the old-fashioned heirloom varieties...
and are vine ripened...

or if they are modern hybrids...
they are home grown & vine ripened...

so here, for those of you who may care at all...
are the varieties that I've planted this year...
[hopefully, there will be plenty to share...]

enjoy...
[I know I will...yum!...]


"the heirlooms"...



"brandywine", my favorite meaty, tasty red...



"Cherokee purple", another tasty red/purple...



"green zebra", they're ripe when the silver stripes turn cream...
dead ripe, when they turn yellow...



"Kellogg's breakfast", an orange beefsteak type...



"Mr.Stripey", possibly my # 1 favorite for tons of yumminess...



"tangerine", a yellow-orange beefsteak type...



"momotaro", a large, pink beefsteak type from Japan...similar to "pink Caspian"...



"beauty king", a large, yellow beefsteak with red stripes like Mr. Stripey...



"lemon boy",a medium sized yellow with pink flesh, almost peachy...



"Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter", a dark pink beefsteak-type, often reaching 1 lb or more...



"Aunt Gertie's gold", a yellow beefsteak type...

"the hybrids..."



"Big Beef", is the beefsteak version of "celebrity"... good in sandwiches & on burgers...



"new girl", an improved version of "early girl"...good early producer of medium sized fruit...



"ace", when you say,"I'm growing tomatoes", you usually mean these...



a standard, medium sized, multi-use red tomato...

"the cherries..."



"sweet 100", pretty standard smaller cherry, very sweet...



"sun sugar", yellow-gold, sweet cherries...



"sun gold", orangey-yellow, very sweet smallish cherries...



"black cherry", an heirloom cherry with dark flesh & a cherry-like flavor...



"yellow pear", a traditional cherry-sized pear-shaped tomato...
flavor deepens with degree of ripeness...

3 comments:

The Calico Quilter said...

These all look absolutely yummy. If a person were to select just two tomato plants, which two would you recommend? I probably already have decided on the brandywine, but what else would be good?

Mousie and Christy's Mommy said...

You planted ALL those tomatoes? I am incredibly impressed! I'm trying to get B to let me plant just one little tomato plant in our yard but the "Master Gardner" says no! After looking at all your pictures I am drooling and already trying to figure out where I could hide one where he wouldn't find it...until it had tomatoes on it and then he would be happy!

Thanks for sharing! Yummy!!

catsinger said...

...Calico, it really depends on what grows best in your climate...
there's a reason that hybrids were created...ie the heirlooms will get disease, not set, or just pine away in an unfriendly climate...
brandywine is a more hardy heirloom...
if you want a lot of tomatoes, chose something a local gardening expert recommends[I have NO idea what grow well in TN...]if you have any weather issues, it may be important to go with a tried & true hybrid...just keep it well watered, lots of sun & let it ripen all the way...& they'll be good...
if it would work in your area...I love "pink Caspian"or"Mr.Stripey"...
yum...good luck...

...M&CM...you can plant tomatoes successfully in containers in our area...the easiest to grow are the cherries...they are fool proof...
I have all 5 plants in a 4' x 4' raised box...they do just fine there...just keep them well watered
when it's hot/windy...they love the full sun...but must have water...
good luck !
BTW...I've often planted more than this...the 5 cherries take up little room & there are only single plants of the others...so the area I have to fill, is filled...I love variety!