annecros

In Scarsdale, you should be fine. A lot of very fine tomatoes come from that part of the country.

Purchase "100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden " by Dr. Carolyn Male. Or go peruse Tomatoville and ask her questions personally. I've found her to be very patient on the whole, but she does have her limits! All you need is a spot with eight hours of sun, and lot's of organic material. Otherwise, tomatoes are pretty much weeds. Heavy feeders, but make no mistake, they are weeds. Oh, and have fun! ETA: "Earl's Hole" and lasagna bed are both very good homes for toms. I prefer the lasagna beds, personally, but your mileage may vary.

Hmm, I am going to make some phone calls, I think, and see if I can get some clarification. The Atlanta people seem to like them: Clicky But, if they can't special order, that's an issue.

Good news on the Black Cherry. I was concerned, as I had already set aside garden space and have four seedlings! I usually ripen on the kitchen table, after the toms have broken color and about 50% ripe. It keeps the critters fooled, and I notice no difference between indoor ripening and leaving on the vine until dead ripe. Controversial topic, I know. Some of them are better "green shouldered" I think. I particularly like the zing as well.

Are they Rocoto? It is a South American pepper, but the Jamaicans and Haitians here love and use them. They are unique, very different eating and tasting experience. I don't usually care for hot pepper, but these guys have a flavor that is out of this world. Hubby is the pepper head in the family, I will ask him about overwintering.

I have so left this topic alone, because me and the USDA have differing opinions. So let me come down on the side of safety. The United States Department of Agriculture does not recommend using the afore mentioned construction of glass canning jars with gaskets and glass lid - so don't ever do it. Having said that, I do it all the time. I think they are not only pleasing to the eye, they give me a better seal. If the thing passes the "lift" test where you pick up the entire contents by the glass lid, you have a seal. In order for this test to work, of course, remove the clips or release the bail. I have a harder time getting into this type of seal than I do my two part lids on regular jars. It is my understanding that the USDA frowned upon this construction, and deemed it unsafe, because there is no obvious indicator that a seal has been made. The two part lids are called dome lids, and go from convex to concave when a vacuum happens inside the jar. A glass lid, a gasket, and the glass rim of a jar make for a very good seal. The principals are the same for both. Processing increases the heat inside the jar and forces air out of the seal. If you could see inside the pressure canner or the boiling water bath, the contents of the jar actually hit the bottom of the lid. Aerobic bacteria are then starved of air inside the jar and cannot reproduce. Anaerobic bacteria are killed by the high temps or the acid content of whatever is in the jar. There is a sort of canning and preserving renaissance going on right now and it makes me a little bit nervous. I think I've only had three or four jars go bad my whole life, and it was in one batch of bad dome lids I bought on clearance. The problem that I see is that many people don't understand what to look for when they open the container. If you don't have a hard time getting the lid off, don't use it. Look for indications of the vacuum, the sort of whoosh when you open it, and if there is not a vacuum, don't use it. If anything is off looking or smelling, don't eat it. I find that I have to tell people this before I give them my home canned goods. It is so I can sleep at night, not because I am not confident in my canning skills. As far as sealing ability is concerned, look at the area of the gasket vs. the area of the seal on the two part dome lids. That sucker with the big gasket is sealed, and as long as the product is properly processed, it is perfectly safe. Follow the directions, tedious as they are, and you can feel good about the food you are gifting your loved ones with. But the USDA says don't use them, so don't.

I won't buy pants or skirts without pockets. Pockets are vital. I need them, for something...

Fresh pack go in the fridge. Give them a week, but two is better.

essays and a glossary of cooking terms and cooks terms, everything from "all day" to blanche to what does salted water mean. inspired by strunk & white's elements of style. ← Hmm, I may need one of those, a style book for the kitchen. Do you also assert that one must know the rules, before they can break them? I can see how cooking can break down to "usage" and "composition" as well, although you may have chosen a different tactic. Sounds clever, and useful.

A MR Porterhouse, fried chicken, BLT, Hamburger (loaded), chili dog, french fries, MR Rib Roast, leftover roast beef sandwich on a hard roll with lots of jus, Baked Ham, Southern peas, butterbeans, fried cornbread, fried okra... Oh, what the heck, everything in sight!

I grew Mr. Stripey last year, and they do look lovely sliced up on a plate. The bush was HUGE though, and husband was not too fond of them. I found this was one of those that get much better later in the season. The first one or two that ripened for me were a disappointment. They weren't fleshy at all, and looked almost like stuffers when cut, but later I got nice meaty beefsteaks. Viva, that Black Krim looks lovely to me! I guess I have to make room for it soon. I see you are in North Carolina, has it held up well in the heat?

Oh easy! Sauce freezes well, and it is just a matter of putting the toms through a food mill and cooking down. I also can salsa: Salsa for canning Easy to tweak and modify, and as long as you have a pot deep enough to cover the jars by one inch, you are good to go. Uses up four cups of chopped and seeded tomatoes. Dehydrate slices or cherries sliced in half, then add them to winter soups by the handful. All good stuff. And, I must add, canned home grown tomatoes beat store bought canned tomatoes any time. They even beat the red Styrofoam that they pass off as fresh tomatoes in the stores in the winter as well.

I can help with those two. My personal recollections from reading seed catalogs, talking to tomato groupies, etc. Kellogg's Breakfast. It is actually a variety developed and grown by the Kellogg family, who obviously, were great horticulturists. Man cannot live by corn alone. It also is a lovely deep orange, reminding one of that cereal. This one is documented as a family heirloom. Mortgage Lifter (also referred to as "Radiator Charlie" and I think there is one other name). According to legend, and I don't think this has ever been verified, an individual had a nice family tomato, saved seed and sold the seedlings rather than the tomato. He made enough to pay the mortgage on his farm. Heinz is a standard canner. Not very sweet, tart, and fleshy. Medium sized fruit. I use them for sauce, canning and salsa - but don't mind slicing one up if it looks right. I haven't been pleased with my first try, and prefer some others for those purposes, but I am giving it another chance in another area under different conditions. The history of these varieties is a lot of fun, but you have to take it with a grain of salt sometimes.

I saw that commercial last night during the local news. I am going to put Chef Allen's on my list. I live in South Broward (actually the Miami-Dade county line is in the lot behind my home), and have easy access to Biscayne Blvd., I-95, T-Pike. Any other suggestions from the big list on the web site? Hubby and I are going to be vetting it together if things settle down around here a bit.

I'll snap a shot when I get a good one. Right now those toms are in the "they're NEVER going to be ripe" phase, dead green, still swelling. Sometimes the first fruits aren't very representative of what you get later. I like the blacks/purples as well. I think the striking appearance (ugggly) is part of their charm - and they almost always have a better flavor to my taste. Everyone should try at least one black or purple.

Jen was my favorite of the three finalists. I agree that Bonnie and Rock had an unfair advantage that they knew a messed up dish would be brought forward. Now I guess I have to root for the lesser of two evils - Rock I guess. Bonnie whines too much for my taste. I mean, the whole "I'm hungry" thing just got under my skin. She is a cook, and she was standing in a kitchen!

Ouch, I am sorry to hear that. Which store were you dealing with, or were they uncooperative at the corporate level?

I note that you have dined outside your metro area in the past. Are you willing to travel about the state, or would you prefer to stay closer to home?

Wow, it's hard to choose from that list! We'll probably be going. I need to spend more time in Dade County. I think it's great that the Visitor's Bureau has this organized for the off season. The only place on your list that I am familiar with is Mark's - always good. But hopefully I'll know more in the near future.

Touch. It's like the green when ripes (I quit growing those about three years ago, I may need to revisit). At least that's what I go by when the tom doesn't give you much visual - that, and a ripe tomato will fall into your hand with a little bit of very gentle encouragement. It is freaky looking, huh? I've tasted it when other's have grown, and can't wait to spring it on hubby. It is much nicer than it appears! I think it would make some neat looking salsa for Halloween as well...

They look great Shelby! I think it's never too late to come to these parties! In fact, I have some peppers going that I should snap a pic of, I suppose. How long did you leave them in the crock? I have several crocks around, but have so far only used them for decorative purposes

It doesn't, at least here for me. (YMMV) It is just sweet, with no acid. Hmm, well I already have to plant started, so I will see what I get. I try to keep the number of cherries in the garden down, as I am convinced they intend to take over the world. The neighborhoods kids will probably like them, though.

Are you around running water? It almost sounds "beaverish" to me, taking the whole plant and leaving a nub in the pot. I would think deer would trash the patio and knock a lot of things over. Raccoons? They are big nocturnal feeders. They might have gotten spooked by something when they were in the process of stealing that last beefsteak plant. I am so sorry. I am a believer in letting the wildlife take their share, and going as organic as possible for pest control, but I cross the line when they start taking their share and mine too! Maybe you could get the dog (if you have one) to sleep with the plants in the future? I hate it when the birds find the fruit, and take one peck out of every one . I've heard it said that most of them don't particularly care for tomatoes, but are after the water they contain. You certainly have a herbivore there, it sounds like.

Played with the Pho noodles yesterday, pic a bit fuzzy, sorry: Soy, vinegar, ginger, garlic, leftover jus and honey. Finished the sauce with chopped green onion and seranno peppers from the garden. Cold leftover roast beef, shrimp and leftover broccoli sprouts. Hubby is really loving the broccoli sprouts. I could have softened the Pho a bit more, I think. They probably only needed another 30 seconds or so. But very good, and hubby liked this better than the sesame noodles.

Cool. I am putting in Gardener's Delight this Fall as well and its a first timer for me. Between the three, I should be able to make a very pretty salad, if nothing else! Sungold would be hard to beat flavor and production wise - but hubby isn't too keen on them for some reason. He likes big, sweet red or pink beefsteaks - although he does make an exception for Kelloggs Breakfast. The blacks and purples sort of skeeve him out appearance wise, but the sauce and salsa they make is a favorite for him. I can't wait to see his reaction when I slice up the first Black Sea Man! Picture here: http://www.seedsavers.org/prodinfo.asp?number=19(OG) Brandywine is such a tempermental tomato, and just pouts in my climate. I wish I could grow it, because I love them.