I journeyed out to my garden today in search of the perfect tomato for a slice of toast. I did find one hanging, beautiful and rose colored, on the vines of one of the Brandywine plants.
There is really nothing better than a tomato, fresh off the vine, still warm from the sun, sliced, salted and put on a piece of hot buttered toast. Unless it is a slice put on a burger hot off the grill. Or chunks of them in a wonderful lettuce salad…….
As you can tell I really, really like tomatoes. My husband does not share this passion. I cannot believe how misguided he is on this topic. If he does eat them he puts sugar on them! I keep telling him that sugar is for baking and putting on cereal. He is not convinced of that fact or the wonder of tomatoes.
After I had found my perfect tomato I could tell I needed to come back to get the weeds under control……again. I also noted that everything in the garden looked like it needed a thorough watering. We have not been getting those timely rains the last while.
My tomato plants looked pretty droopy and sad. There are some days I know exactly how those plants felt…..wilted, dry and needing a little TLC.
I picked, weeded and watered those amazing plants today. It was hot, humid work and by the time I was done my husband told me I smelled like a tomato plant. I did not think that was such a bad thing but I am not totally sure that it was a compliment coming from him.
I have a five-gallon bucket half filled with these beautiful red and rose colored beauties. I usually plant Brandywine, Romas, and try one other variety each gardening year. This year my third variety was called Independence Day. It sounds amazingly patriotic but they are kind of a disappointment. They are not small enough to be a cherry tomato but not big enough to slice for sandwiches. On the upside……they are prolific.
I am debating if I have enough for a batch of pizza sauce, salsa or if I should just turn these into tomato juice. There are so many small ones that I am leaning towards the juice just to save my sanity. I like to use the Romas for the pizza sauce and salsa. Fortunately I have till tomorrow to decide.
When I get down to making pizza sauce and salsa I will be sharing those recipes with you. They are both family favorites and I usually can enough for us and the kids.
My girls also enjoy this season as they get all the cut off pieces of tomato.
I still am not sure if I should be spelling the word tomato with or without an “e”. The word looks fine to me either way. My sister, who as a child was dubbed “spell-check”, would probably not agree with me on that line of thought. I am quite sure the chickens would agree with me on this point.
So…..how do you prefer to eat your tomatoes? Do you love them? hate them? or just not really care?
It’s difficult to think
anything but pleasant thoughts
while eating a homegrown tomato.
Lewis Grizzard
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/tomato.html
The Chicken Grandma 
Absolutely adore tomatoes. We have been enjoying them each day and know that our time is growing short. Gotten hooked on heritage tomatoes…sandwich, salads, bruschetta…anyway! So glad the girls are getting some as well! Love your stories👍😄
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The Brandywine are a heritage tomato and so are the Independence Day ones that I tried. Which ones have you tried and what were your favorites?
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Yeah…brandy wine & German Johnson…heirlooms. We just finished a Caesar salad with one big Johnson cut up..yum! Got to get the basil cut tomorrow. Will miss them both too soon.
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Any way you hand me a tomato, I’ll eat it!!
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I always like the cherry tomatoes to eat as a snack as I garden. My husband thinks I am nuts on that one but they are so good to just pop in your mouth.
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They are the best that way! One summer I had cherry tomato plants everywhere. They volunteered themselves from the previous year. I dehydrated, canned, and made gallons of salsa! Oh how I love tomatoes!
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I never liked tomato’s as a kid and not much as an adult either until I started growing my own. I grow cherry, beefsteak and this year Roma’s. I don’t care for store bought as they don’t have the same taste as home grown and my beefsteak didn’t take very well this year. And my squash completely ran over the Roma’s, apparently there was some type of territory dispute between the two. I need to make adjustments in my rebel garden for next year. I over planted or planted things to close or maybe both.
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Did you have your Romas caged? I usually have tomatoes so they grow more vertical than horizontal. You can also do that with squash I have been told. That way they behave and don’t “fight” and claim territory quite as bad.
My watermelon are having a territory dispute with my canteloupes….. watermelons are winning.
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Haha, yeah I did have them caged and the squash was jealous and took over the cage! If I ever plant watermelon and cantaloupe I’ll remember them as dualing cousins and keep them seperated. I’ll bet that watermelon would make for a good slushy too.
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Those were some competitive squash! Perhaps they were in training for some Olympic event?
And yes…..watermelon is great in a slushy. I have frozen cubes of melon (both types) before to use through the winter. It works great!
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What a great idea to freeze it. My little garden is gonna be bigger next year!
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Love tomatoes. Tomato sandwiches are my favorite. And as you see I spell tomato without the E. My mother-in-law use to say, “Who cares if a word is misspelled, if the person reading it, understands what the word is.” Lol She is right. She had a 6th grade education and she was a wise lady. Nice post you have written, my friend.
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My husband spells phonetically and he is with your mom in law—-if he can read it he is good.
My sister (spell check) assures me no “e” unless plural. whew ….. I think I did it right.
I am thinking BLT for lunch. mmmmmmm
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As a Brit, and therefore a total authority on the English language (tongue firmly in cheek here!!), I can confirm the ‘e’ is only there in the plural form. But I am WAY more interested in your caged vegetables. What are you guys growing over there??! Mutant ninja veg??!
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I defer to your Britishness on the correct spelling. Hahaha on the ninja veggies! I “cage” my tomatoes because I would rather not crawl around on the ground to pick them. I put them between two cattle panels (not sure if you guys use these over there or not) that way they grow vertically instead of horizontally.
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I should probably not answer the caging question for Aimee (A Nene’s Life) she might be growing mutant vegetables as she is in a different part of the country than me. Her vegetables might be more competitive and higher achievers.
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Maybe farmers do here? My dad was an Irish country boy, but we lived in a town here. To grow tomatoes he made a frame from stakes and twine, embedded in a bag of compost, and kept training the plants up the frame. Same principle maybe? We had a lot of green tomatoes…
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that would definitely be the same principal as my cattle panels. I just use the panels because they are 16 ft long. I set them (actually my husband sets them) about 1′ – 1 1/2′ apart and plant 10 tomatoes between the two panels. works like a charm. They do eventually spill over the top as they grow.
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Fresh tomatoes? Gag! I only eat tomatoes if they are properly disguised (sauces, salsas, etc.). Many times I’ve tried to develop a taste for them but can’t seem to do it. I’ve progressed though — I’ve moved from stomach-flipping-nausea to this-tastes-very-horrible. ha ha I grow them for my family, though.
What’s weird to me is the way the vines stain my skin when I work with them. After tying up vines and gathering tomatoes, I can wash my hands and arms, and the sink flows with neon yellowish-green water.
Our chickens absolutely love tomato scraps! The dominant hen hogs the majority of them, though. She’s a hefty bird! (a black Australorp)
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My husband does not gag with them but he always takes them out of any salad or off any burger he gets. He prefers them turned in to catsup. After almost 36 years I don’t think I will be changing him.
And the girls love tomatoes, which is why I cannot have them run through my garden.
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Nothing more Southern than tomatoes and iced tea. Looking forward to your salsa recipe. With 6 males in my household, we go through salsa by the bucket load.
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As soon as my Romas really start to produce I will be making salsa. I smiled…..huge…about the 6 males going through salsa comment. I have three sons (2 married) and I also make salsa for them.
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Oh my I wish I was having a a sweet tea and home gown tomato sandwich. Very nice job Thanks for sharing.
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I would love to share a sweet tea and home grown tomato sandwich with you!
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It might happen. ❤
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I love them! Love them toasted with moz. cheese and basil too! I like you cn for the kids too-they love salsa and marinara too. It is dry and hot here too-how did you stand the garden!! Be careful in that heat-106 here today!! you know I LOVE your blog!
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I am going to have to try the toasted with cheese and basil…that sounds delicious. We are hot but not that hot. low 90’s and I just sweated it out in the garden. The shower felt amazing afterwards. I do not envy you with your 106! That is much too hot.
And you know I LOVE your blog also! My husband asked if it blogging and reading blogs was like having pen pals. I told him yes!
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it really is! I feel like I am writing letters. Especially in your case. gosh if we ever met in real life. . . you would feel like a close friend!-right off!
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I know!! it would be great.
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