Philadelphia area gardening thread

[Scooty]

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

Scooty, that sounds delicious! Will have to try that for sure.

Ginny

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Depending on how smokey you like it, the sauce can get pretty dark after reducing. Smoking pinks and cooking it down can result in a color like a Black Krim.

Even if its oversmoked, you can use it like concentrate and thin it out later with unsmoked tomato sauce. It's also great for those canning or drying, since smoking adds another layer of preservation.

[gorbelly]

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

I was wondering that too but they are all ripening that way off that plant. Totally reminds me of Virginia Sweets but Im sure there are others it could be. Or maybe a cross.

Hey Ginny, are those all "orange strawberry"--the 5 closest to the scale?

[Fiishergurl]

No, 4 are Wes in various stages of ripeness. Only one is what was supposed to be orange strawberry. I took another picture with it separated from the Wes tomatoes.



Ginny

[gorbelly]

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

No, 4 are Wes in various stages of ripeness. Only one is what was supposed to be orange strawberry. I took another picture with it separated from the Wes tomatoes.

Yeah, def. not orange strawberry. If there were other Virginia Sweets for sale when you bought the plant, then I think it's safe to assume that that's what it is. If not, then it could be any number of bicolors or a cross. Impossible to identify definitively in that case. Glad it's growing well for you and tastes good, though!

[JRinPA]

Orange Russian 117 (from pondgardener in COLO, does that ring true? turned out beautifully. I put them in late, end of June, after pulling some disappointing onions from the raised bed. They probably didn't stay wet enough and had full sun with this hot and dry year. The first wave was fairly sparse with some BER, but a few days back I picked a load of them and they are a really pretty, great tasting tomato that is practically all meat.

Added benefit - would be a great prop for temple of doom fans or aztec re-enactors!

[JRinPA]

I went ahead and took some of the butternut squash off the vine. About 1/3 of them looked pretty well done with browned over stems. The bugs were much worse this year than last year. Both squash bugs and striped cucumber beetles were all over these for much of the summer. I hope they store as well as they did last year.

[PhilaGardener]

Great looking harvests! This year OR#117 was the only tomato in my garden to suffer BER. Nice taste but it also had a very short shelf life for me after picking, so I had to use them up quickly. It does look like a jungle out there!

[JRinPA]

I would concur that they did not hold firmness for me, either. I took that picture a day or so before picking. Last week I used most of those up in a juice/soup of OR117, kellogg's breakfast, and sweet ozark orange. I used a little more sugar and salt than usual to finish off the tomato/basil/garlic/onion/celery soup recipe and canned it in pints instead of quarts. It will taste great in a couple months for hunting lunches.

Those OR117 have reinvigorated my tomato sandwich desire, as well. That and getting a jar of Hellman's again. We tried...Sauer's, I believe it was, that tasted more like Kraft mayo than Hellman's. I had slacked off for a few weeks, but now I'm back, baby! Can't afford bacon at $7/lb but need that Hellman's!

[Fiishergurl]

Check this out... I had planned to go to Florida around the first of September and take my fall seedlings. They were already big then, but i leave this weekend. They still all fit in my car (we tested this out).

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for all of the wonderful advice and help. My husband said the tomatoes we grew here were the prettiest by far. No cracks and they got huge for the most part. And great taste. Now I will be heading home to the land of pests and diseases (for tomato plants anyways).

Thanks again!
Ginny

[PhilaGardener]

Ginny, Don't know where you are between PA and FL but hope you are riding out Matthew safely! Please let us know you are OK when you have the chance (and perhaps power). Take care!

[Fiishergurl]

Hi PhilaGardener,

I am in Orlando at my sisters house which is concrete block and sturdy. We still have power so far but the winds and rain have really picked up with the worst part hitting all day today.

My RV (which is our home), Boat, and Golf cart are exposed at Oak Hill Fl right on the water. I didnt have time to get them moved west as my husband is still in Philly with the truck finishing up his job. I dont think there will be much left of our belongings as they are in the main path of the eye but time will tell.

Thanks for asking.

Ginny

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[PhilaGardener]

Glad to hear you from you! I am sorry things are in the storm's path but we will hope for the best. Take care and be safe!

[Fiishergurl]

Havent gone home yet due to the curfew. No power at home butvthe reports are that damage was minimal andbthe surf stayed down in our area. Yay! Going home in the morning.

Ginny

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[PhilaGardener]

Great! Hope things are OK for you! Thanks for letting us know.

[gorbelly]

Glad to hear you are safe, Ginny!