anyone had a real jersey tomato yet?

[tommy]

Long Island's climate is very similar to Jersey's and thus yeilds similar results during the summer.

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if that's the case why is jersey wine so bad and LI wine so good?

[Jason Perlow]

More mature industry, I guess.

[pete ganz]

speaking of which, i saw a show on heirloom tomatoes last night (and yes, that'll get you hungry even if you're in bed and it's 10.30 pm). they said to dry out the seeds and plant 'em the next year. not sure if jersey's climate is ideal enough to handle this kind of approach though. i know i'm certainly not versed enough to try it yet.

For the most part we've given up on trying to grow any kind of Heirloom tomato outside. You really need a year-long tomato growing season like in the South to be able to grow them effectively, or you need a greenhouse, where pretty much all of the heirlooms you buy in the Farmers Markets in NJ come from.

I think we have two heirloom varietals growing, the Brandywine and one other, but I'm not keeping my hopes up for them in terms of yeild. The various Burpee hybrid types really do tend to do the best in our climate.

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I bought 6 different heirloom seedling varieties from Catalpa Ridge Farm and they're all doing quite well. They're in the ground, not in pots, though. Just sayin'....

[tommy]

I bought 6 different heirloom seedling varieties from Catalpa Ridge Farm and they're all doing quite well. They're in the ground, not in pots, though. Just sayin'....

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got mine from the same source. mine are in pots, though. i'm curious to see how they do as the season progresses.

More mature industry, I guess.

don't discount LI's climate as a big factor in their grape growing and wine making (which may or may not be related to tomato growing). LI, unlike NJ, is surrounded by water, is cooler overall because of that water effect, has sandy that drains well, and is often compared to bordeaux from a climate and soil-perspective. come to think of it, do LI tomatoes make it over to NJ? i know it's hard to get LI wines here as many don't make it past NYC. i'd like to do a taste test.

[CaliPoutine]

As an aside, we have Jersey Blueberries up here in Ontario. They were on sale last week. 1 quart for 3.99. That's cheap and they were very good.

[Jason Perlow]

speaking of which, i saw a show on heirloom tomatoes last night (and yes, that'll get you hungry even if you're in bed and it's 10.30 pm). they said to dry out the seeds and plant 'em the next year. not sure if jersey's climate is ideal enough to handle this kind of approach though. i know i'm certainly not versed enough to try it yet.

For the most part we've given up on trying to grow any kind of Heirloom tomato outside. You really need a year-long tomato growing season like in the South to be able to grow them effectively, or you need a greenhouse, where pretty much all of the heirlooms you buy in the Farmers Markets in NJ come from.

I think we have two heirloom varietals growing, the Brandywine and one other, but I'm not keeping my hopes up for them in terms of yeild. The various Burpee hybrid types really do tend to do the best in our climate.

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I bought 6 different heirloom seedling varieties from Catalpa Ridge Farm and they're all doing quite well. They're in the ground, not in pots, though. Just sayin'....

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You're lucky. I'm not sure what it is with the either the soil composition here in Tenafly or what I'm doing wrong, but I can never get the heirlooms to do particularly well, at least in the five years we've been living here and doing a vegetable garden during the summer. The other kinds, however, do gangbusters yeilds.

We've got black plastic down and we're growing them in the ground... So far, all the plants including the two heirlooms look healthy. I'm not keeping my hopes up in terms of successful yeilds on those varieties, though.

[Jason Perlow]

come to think of it, do LI tomatoes make it over to NJ?

As far as I know LI doesn't have much of a produce industry, at least when compared to NJ and other parts of NY State in terms of volume of exports. The tomatoes (and corn, and everything else) they grow are pretty much all eaten there and in other parts of NY and NYC. They do have a farm bureau that promotes produce grown in the area:

http://www.lifb.com/

They also have a Farm Stand directory where you can buy produce from the source:

http://www.lifb.com/stands_alpha0.0.html

Here is a list of what is grown and sold from LI:

http://www.lifb.com/li_popular_crops.0.html

Edited July 11, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)

[rlibkind]

LI, unlike NJ, is surrounded by water, is cooler overall because of that water effect, has sandy that drains well, and is often compared to bordeaux from a climate and soil-perspective.  come to think of it, do LI tomatoes make it over to NJ?  i know it's hard to get LI wines here as many don't make it past NYC. i'd like to do a taste test.

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South Jersey and LI actually share the same geologic formation, i.e., the sandy soil. Not quite the same climate, but very similar, especially in Atlantic, Cumberland and Cape May counties. None of this, however, explains NJ wines.

[Jason Perlow]

Not all NJ wines are bad. Alba Vineyards has some nice stuff, I think their Reisling and their dessert wines are nice.

http://www.albavineyards.com/award.html

LI has a wine and vinoculture industry going back 25 years. Still, they have only gotten real critical acclaim in the last 5 years or so. In another 20 years we might be able to say the same of NJ.

[judiu]

don't discount LI's climate as a big factor in their grape growing and wine making (which may or may not be related to tomato growing).  LI, unlike NJ, is surrounded by water, is cooler overall because of that water effect, has sandy that drains well, and is often compared to bordeaux from a climate and soil-perspective.  come to think of it, do LI tomatoes make it over to NJ?  i know it's hard to get LI wines here as many don't make it past NYC. i'd like to do a taste test.

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Well, the only way we got Long Island tomatoes when we lived in NJ was the trunk of the car route when we came home from Nana & Pop's house in Massapequa! ('Course, that was lo these many years ago... )

[=Mark]

LI has a wine and vinoculture industry going back 25 years. Still, they have only gotten real critical acclaim in the last 5 years or so. In another 20 years we might be able to say the same of NJ.

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My Bro and I used to attend the annual Long Island Barrel Tasting BBQ on the north fork a dozen or so years ago. Was surprised at the prevalence of red wines there, notably Merlot. Evidently the marine environment moderates the temps to a degree that favors reds.

[tommy]

LI, unlike NJ, is surrounded by water, is cooler overall because of that water effect, has sandy that drains well, and is often compared to bordeaux from a climate and soil-perspective.  come to think of it, do LI tomatoes make it over to NJ?  i know it's hard to get LI wines here as many don't make it past NYC. i'd like to do a taste test.

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South Jersey and LI actually share the same geologic formation, i.e., the sandy soil. Not quite the same climate, but very similar, especially in Atlantic, Cumberland and Cape May counties. None of this, however, explains NJ wines.

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indeed there is sandy soil in much of jersey, which explains why i was surrounded by pine trees the first 18 years of my life. i do think temperature and air have a lot to do with growing grapes, and, perhaps, tomatoes as well. i don't know of anyone who has ever said that NJ is like bordeaux. i'm not sure if anyone grows anything near the water, though. are there tomato farms near the ocean in south jersey?

[=Mark]

indeed there is sandy soil in much of jersey, which explains why i was surrounded by pine trees the first 18 years of my life.  i do think temperature and air have a lot to do with growing grapes, and, perhaps, tomatoes as well.  i don't know of anyone who has ever said that NJ is like bordeaux.    i'm not sure if anyone grows anything near the water, though.  are there tomato farms near the ocean in south jersey?

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When I lived on Morris Avenue in Long Branch (Between the train station and the beach) we had the richest, dark loamy soil I've ever tried gardening. Made for some kick-butt veggies. That area is unusually elevated, the boardwalk a couple blocks to the east is like 20 feet above the beach. No farms that I know of though

[coughy]

I just bought fresh corn and tomatoes at Mattarazzo's in North Caldwell. I'll let you know how they were after dinner.

[zoe b]

She also brought corn on the cobb that had been picked fresh for her that morning. HOLY $@%!? was it good!

Yep, Jersey corn is just starting to make its appearance as well

well, I will have to apologise to my Mom for being a Doubting Thomas because she brought up some corn that she said was NJ grown--it was delish, but we thought it had to be trucked in this early.

Grandfather's Long Island tomatoes were the absolute BEST., The water table out there is only 18" before you hit sea water, so the tomatoes come already salted,

I'm willing to concede that pre-salted LI tomatoes are equal to the jersey ones--they sound magnificent, actually. Which brings us to the wine issue...

if that's the case why is jersey wine so bad and LI wine so good? 

this made me spit out my non-jersey wine when I read it--even if it is getting better--debatable--it's so darn expensive--I am willing and eager to shell out extra moola for locally grown and produced food , but when i can get Italian and South American and Australian wines for every day drinking that are truly decent for 1/4 of what a jersy wine sells for--it's no contest.

i don't know of anyone who has ever said that NJ is like bordeaux.

there has to be some area of similarity--give me some more time, I know i can come up with something.....

[Jason Perlow]

Here's what we did with some Jersey tomatoes I bought recently:

Basil was picked from our garden.

[Rachel Perlow]

That Caprese was so good last night, I'm tempted to do it again for lunch today. Just in case you've never made one, here's how I do it. I like it to marinate for an hour or so before service.

Take a big juicy home grown or farm stand, locally grown tomato (to be fair to those not in New Jersey). Frankly, this really isn't worth doing with store bought tomatoes unless they are really ripe and in season. For one large tomato you'll need one small (or half a large) ball of fresh mozzarella. Slice both into 1/4 inch slices. Pour some salt & grind some pepper into a small mise en place dish, taste the mozz. If it is salty, then use equal proportions of salt to pepper, if unsalted, use about 2:1 salt:pepper. You'll need about 1/3 cup of best quality EVOO and several sprigs of basil, fresh from your garden.

Drizzle a bit of oo into a tall container, I use a quart size deli/soup container. Add a small sprinkle of S&P and a basil leaf or two (tear the big ones, leave the small pretty ones whole) and lay on a slice of tomato. Sprinkle of s&p, drizzle of oil, basil, slice of mozz. Spinkle of s&p, oil, basil, tomato. Continue until you use everything up. If you have leftover oil, pour it on. Put an airtight lid on the container.

Allow to marinate while you get the rest of the meal together. Turn the container over occasionally. Serve, layering the tomatoes & mozz, pour on a little of the oil/juices, eat with a slice of crusty bread. You can sprinkle on a bit of vinegar at service, I prefer a mild one, like Sherry Vineger from Spain, or maybe a good red wine vinegar over Balsamic. Mmm, summer on a plate.

[Rachel Perlow]

I thought to add this to RecipeGullet. Doing a brief online search, I came across this "recipe." This person insists that "Insalata Caprese should never be allowed to sit in oil for any length of time and become soggy." I like it marinated and juicy, for bread sopping. What is your opinion?

[zoe b]

I like it marinated and juicy, for bread sopping. What is your opinion?

my opinion? I can be at your house by lunchtime--I'll bring the bread!!!!

Zoe

[Jason Perlow]

I thought to add this to RecipeGullet. Doing a brief online search, I came across this "recipe." This person insists that "Insalata Caprese should never be allowed to sit in oil for any length of time and become soggy." I like it marinated and juicy, for bread sopping. What is your opinion?

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That guy also says "And no vinegar of any kind goes on Insalata Caprese!". I'm not sure I agree with that. Sure, you can enjoy it without, but sometimes the tomatoes need an extra acidic boost.

[Anonymouze]

I'd seriously try the Farmer's Market on Mark Lane in River Vale off River Vale Ave tomorrow 12-5pm and see if any of the vendors have them. I know one vendor is a "grow your own" guy/gal so if they are there you can see 4 yourself.

[suzilightning]

sunday Valley View Farm had their own tomatoes on sunday so i picked up about half and dozen. they are going to be cut up with some cucumber, ricotta salata, salt and pepper, olive oil and vinegar for dinner tonight. i also was able to pick up local corn at Lindeken's here in nwnj. not silver queen yet but not sourth jersey either.

all the talk about long island tomatoes and corn kinda makes this Shelter Island girl homesick - but what i miss the most are the lima beans. fresh, sweet limas with sweet corn for the best succotash. the best place i have been able to find them fresh here in jersey is in cape may. the last time i was out on the island most of the places we would stop for fruit and veg were just about holding on and not much more than that - Wickham's and Terry's. and all the potatoes fields - real estate or vineyards

[Jason Perlow]

Jersey tomatoes at the Teaneck Farmers Market today (click)

More hi-res photos (Teaneck and Englewood Farmers Markets) on ImageGullet:

NJ Farmers Markets 2006 (ImageGullet Album)

[menton1]

$2.75/lb.!!?? Arrgh. That's up there with gasoline!!!

[Jason Perlow]

Yeah but you can't use gasoline to make Insalata Caprese.

I agree, it's expensive. But what else are you supposed to do when your garden tomatoes aren't mature yet?

Edited July 13, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)