A few photos from around my gardens this morning to prove that Monday can indeed be beautiful.
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heirloom tomatoes
Time for another update on the winter sowing experiment I started on February 17th with 7 Aunt Ruby’s German Green tomato seeds in a 2-liter soda bottle.
The bottle has remained in its safe place beneath the wooden steps at the front door where it can be safe from overzealous winds and flooding rains while still getting plenty of sunlight. Here’s what the seedlings look like today:
As you can see, 5 of the 7 seeds have germinated and are growing quite well. It is important to note that we have an unseasonably warm temperatures all winter without a single below-freezing period in the past several weeks. Still, these tomatoes are already hardened off, meaning that when the time comes they will be ready to go directly into the ground.
I had a second soda bottle available this morning and decided to start a few Amish Paste tomato seeds using the winter sowing method.
Again, starting with 7 seeds in the container, poking holes in the base for drainage and sliding the top over the base. In less than 10 minutes from start to finish, this winter sowing / soda bottle greenhouse is ready.
Even though we didn’t get much of a winter, I’m excited about the possibilities of using the winter sowing method to start seeds as it is quite in line with the simple teachings of Ruth Stout, a woman I respect deeply and strive to be more like.
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I’ve had a lot of requests from people who wanted to know exactly how to save tomato seeds, so I created this short instructional video to help people who learn better by watching. A step-by-step written tutorial on saving tomato seeds will follow in the next couple of days, so stay tuned!
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When John brought home a Black Pear Heirloom Tomato seedling from a trip to Virginia a few weeks ago I was intrigued. I’d never grown the variety before but even more surprising, I’d never tasted it. After doing a bit of research and reading comments from home growers around the country I anticipated the first ripe fruit more than ever.
I should state at the outset that in all my years of growing heirloom tomatoes, the seedlings purchased from Amish growers have always performed well even when conditions were less than favorable. This is an Amish heirloom variety so I had high hopes for production and have not been disappointed. The tomatoes in the photo above were the first to ripen on the vine and were ready for picking yesterday evening.
The first tomato from the black pear plant measured about 3” across. The flesh was not as dark brown as many of the reviews I’d seen but based on feel I could tell that it was ripe and ready for picking. Upon cutting I could see that this small tomato produces plenty of seeds, so seed saving should not be an issue and there is a good amount of juice.
When it comes to flavor, this was the main source of my intrigue when it comes to the black pear tomato. Many seasoned home growers have referred to it as too spicy, flat, bland, even bitter and “foul”. These are not terms that I have ever associated with a tomato personally so I was looking forward to a fruit that was so far removed from my comfort zone.
I quartered the tomato and John & I each tried a quarter fresh from the vine. We agreed that the flavor was far less acidic and powerful than the majority of home grown tomatoes that we have experienced, but neither noted any bitter or spicy tones at all. The second quarter was lightly salted and we tasted again. A world of difference a touch of sea salt makes! The flavor was bright, even slightly sweet and definitely not something that either of us would classify as “foul”!
The verdict after our first tasting is that we are looking forward to adding the Black Pear Heirloom Tomato to our summer salads. We aren’t sure how it will stand as a preserving variety but we have plenty of those on hand so it isn’t a concern.
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After a refreshing Friday rain shower I took a casual walk through the gardens on the homestead this afternoon to see how things are growing. It was a nice break to not have to water all of the hundreds of vegetable and herb plants by hand for at least one day.
This is our first year growing the Amish Black Pear heirloom tomato after John found them at a market on a recent visit to Virginia. We are looking forward to experiencing what has turned out to be one of the most controversial flavors in the tomato family.
The Red Star heirloom tomato plant is covered with fruit and has already produced a handful of ripe tomatoes that are small and packed with flavor. We look forward to more.
The cucumber plants are now starting to produce quite a few tiny cukes. We just tasted the first ripe cucumber this morning and it was delicious!
The first Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter tomato of the 2011 growing season. This ensures that I will be able to continue the seed stock that I have been maintaining for nearly 20 years from my favorite heirloom tomato.
The first sunflower of the season stretching toward the sun.
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