Hey fellow Floridians... - Page 14

Fiishergurl · November 25, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Hi from rainy Kiawah Island.

Ginny - NO - you are SOOO good at raising tomatoes.

For the mushy ones or ones you just don't want to eat, I will find a recipe that is dynamite and post it. When I went on vacation in May, I came home to tons of split tomatoes; the sauce was like a mouth explosion.

Will be back.

Barb,

We hope you are having a great vacation... :-)

I didn't even know they would be good cooked until you and Marsha mentioned that.

Have fun!!

Ginny

Barb_FL · November 25, 2014

This is the recipe: I made it 3 times; mainly with Marglobe and Porter tomatoes-no real paste tomatoes I didn't use fresh basil, thyme, parsley or oregano - used from the McCormick jars. I think the trick is the carrot and honey.

http://wellnessmama.com/8907/pasta-sauce/

Fiishergurl · December 1, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

This is the recipe: I made it 3 times; mainly with Marglobe and Porter tomatoes-no real paste tomatoes I didn't use fresh basil, thyme, parsley or oregano - used from the McCormick jars. I think the trick is the carrot and honey.

http://wellnessmama.com/8907/pasta-sauce/

Thank you Barb! I've got lots of tomatoes ripening now (mostly Stupice but a little if some others too) so I'm going to try the recipe this week. Cant wait!

Oh and it's the perfect time to try this recipe because we ended up getting 8 inches of rain last Monday/Tuesday so the tomatoes are still watery.

Ginny

Barb_FL · December 1, 2014

You will LOVE it! The boil/ice bath works great for taking the skins off so definitely follow that and it will save you lots of time.

-
Before we went to Kiawah, I picked about 2 quarts of cherries - SunGold, Matts, and the random ones in pots.

I also decided that Earthboxes would get full sun on the porch and if they would be behind another EB, they were left out. Basically, the 3 EB with Black Cherries, 3 with Kelloggs, the big SunGold, the old Porter, and Fall Marglobe and Purple Chocolate got the good seats. I have more toms on the Purple Chocolate than I did all of last spring; the Marglobe I grew from seed in the fall is loaded and super healthy.

We got back from Kiawah late Saturday night. The garden did relatively well; I could tell there must have been lots of wind but nothing died. Actually, this was the best my garden has done when I've been away. The watering system worked great. I'm always messing with it; because I move my plants so much.

For such a hard start, all the Kelloggs look really good (only one has fruit though), no disease at all; the only plants with some leaf issues are the black cherry. I guess I am disappointed in the BC - nothing is ripening.

-----
Updates on your gardens please.

Fiishergurl · December 1, 2014

Wow your garden sounds like it is doing really well. Mine all have leaf diseases to some extent. But we have been getting weekly monsoons 8" of rain in just 24 hours last week alone) and the dew is very heavy just about every night. I dont have any way to protect them from that so it is what it is.

Below are the toms im going to use for the sauce. The top ones on the right are almost overripe but im trying to give the ones on the left another day to catch up. Is it worse to have them too ripe or not quite ripe enough? Lol

Ginny

Barb_FL · December 1, 2014

Your tomatoes look great! Overripe is fine; much better than under-ripe. Mine were all split from not being picked (under the porch so not b/c of water)

Ginny - I was thinking of this as we past your exit on 95 - Since you are inundated with rain, that Als 5-1-1 mix might work well for you (not SWC). Needing so much water is why I didn't like it, but plants were always unfazed when we had tons of rain.

Marsha - do you have a pic of your 46 EB? I can't even imagine it. I have a huge pool deck area and porch and I'm out of room with 12 and some home-made ones.

Kay - the dwarf seeds you recommended were delivered while I was out of town.

Opinion needed:
I will be gone from 12/24 - 1/1; I have an upstairs very wide window that gets lots of sun if we leave the shutters open (definitely equally to outside). When it is really cold, I just put my seedlings there and rotate them and put the fan on them too. I also have automatic watering capability via this: http://www.amazon.com/Claber-8053-4-...atering+system

I could put the fan on a timer; the only thing I couldn't do is rotate them.

My question is: do you think I should start my seeds (dwarfs, peppers, other tomatoes) now and put them in the window while I'm gone; or just wait until 12/22-12-23 and let them germinate while I'm gone? From the times I've attempted dwarfs, they have really fat stems so won't get leggy over the week.

ginger2778 · December 1, 2014

Ginny, maybe I can field this one. I have made sauce many times with only partially ripe some, others that were in the fridge veggie bin for a couple of weeks after I cut out a bad spot, sauce is very forgiving, just make it.

I never used carrots in mine before, but I have used bacon. I have also done it with skins off, and still on. Its all super delicious.

just make sure it is cooked down enough not to be watery. I have also put in a small can of tomato paste which thickens it.

Fiishergurl · December 1, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Ginny, maybe I can field this one. I have made sauce many times with only partially ripe some, others that were in the fridge veggie bin for a couple of weeks after I cut out a bad spot, sauce is very forgiving, just make it.

I never used carrots in mine before, but I have used bacon. I have also done it with skins off, and still on. Its all super delicious.

just make sure it is cooked down enough not to be watery. I have also put in a small can of tomato paste which thickens it.

Oh the tomato paste sounds like a good idea... :-) I was so bummed that they were so watery and now I'm excited that you and Barb mentioned they would make good sauce.

Will let you know how it goes!

Ginny

Barb_FL · December 1, 2014

I just followed the recipe exactly except some of the spices weren't fresh; and the sauce was plenty think.

Fiishergurl · December 1, 2014

Here are the tomatoes cooking. The recipe says simmer for two to three hours but it doesnt say covered or uncovered.

Ginny

Fiishergurl · December 1, 2014

Here it is a few minutes later....

Ginny

Barb_FL · December 1, 2014

That was fast; I don't recall but I went through the post and someone asked if it should be cooked uncovered and the author said "Yes, with a somewhat open lid"

Then someone else said "I did simmer it with the lid on. Stirring occasionally. It cooked down beautifully and although I didn’t need to [and it would have left the sauce ever so slightly chunky] I used my immersion blender to smooth it out."

So, if it is really thin, then I would take the lid off, if thick (like mine), lid stays on.

Up to you....

Fiishergurl · December 1, 2014

Its delicious and my husband loves it. He doesnt like the store bought sauces because they are too sweet. We did leave the honey out though just because of hubbys preferences.

ginger2778 · December 2, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

Its delicious and my husband loves it. He doesnt like the store bought sauces because they are too sweet. We did leave the honey out though just because of hubbys preferences.

Heee!

Fiishergurl · December 2, 2014

Tortellini and homemade sauce.... :-)

Thank you girls.... :-)

Ginny

December 1, 2014	#201
Barb_FL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Indialantic, Florida Posts: 2,000	Your tomatoes look great! Overripe is fine; much better than under-ripe. Mine were all split from not being picked (under the porch so not b/c of water) Ginny - I was thinking of this as we past your exit on 95 - Since you are inundated with rain, that Als 5-1-1 mix might work well for you (not SWC). Needing so much water is why I didn't like it, but plants were always unfazed when we had tons of rain. Marsha - do you have a pic of your 46 EB? I can't even imagine it. I have a huge pool deck area and porch and I'm out of room with 12 and some home-made ones. Kay - the dwarf seeds you recommended were delivered while I was out of town. Opinion needed: I will be gone from 12/24 - 1/1; I have an upstairs very wide window that gets lots of sun if we leave the shutters open (definitely equally to outside). When it is really cold, I just put my seedlings there and rotate them and put the fan on them too. I also have automatic watering capability via this: http://www.amazon.com/Claber-8053-4-...atering+system I could put the fan on a timer; the only thing I couldn't do is rotate them. My question is: do you think I should start my seeds (dwarfs, peppers, other tomatoes) now and put them in the window while I'm gone; or just wait until 12/22-12-23 and let them germinate while I'm gone? From the times I've attempted dwarfs, they have really fat stems so won't get leggy over the week. Last edited by Barb_FL; December 1, 2014 at 03:28 PM.

November 25, 2014	#197
Barb_FL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Indialantic, Florida Posts: 2,000	This is the recipe: I made it 3 times; mainly with Marglobe and Porter tomatoes-no real paste tomatoes I didn't use fresh basil, thyme, parsley or oregano - used from the McCormick jars. I think the trick is the carrot and honey. http://wellnessmama.com/8907/pasta-sauce/

December 1, 2014	#199
Barb_FL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Indialantic, Florida Posts: 2,000	You will LOVE it! The boil/ice bath works great for taking the skins off so definitely follow that and it will save you lots of time. - Before we went to Kiawah, I picked about 2 quarts of cherries - SunGold, Matts, and the random ones in pots. I also decided that Earthboxes would get full sun on the porch and if they would be behind another EB, they were left out. Basically, the 3 EB with Black Cherries, 3 with Kelloggs, the big SunGold, the old Porter, and Fall Marglobe and Purple Chocolate got the good seats. I have more toms on the Purple Chocolate than I did all of last spring; the Marglobe I grew from seed in the fall is loaded and super healthy. We got back from Kiawah late Saturday night. The garden did relatively well; I could tell there must have been lots of wind but nothing died. Actually, this was the best my garden has done when I've been away. The watering system worked great. I'm always messing with it; because I move my plants so much. For such a hard start, all the Kelloggs look really good (only one has fruit though), no disease at all; the only plants with some leaf issues are the black cherry. I guess I am disappointed in the BC - nothing is ripening. ----- Updates on your gardens please.

December 1, 2014	#200
Fiishergurl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Oak Hill, Florida Posts: 1,781	Wow your garden sounds like it is doing really well. Mine all have leaf diseases to some extent. But we have been getting weekly monsoons 8" of rain in just 24 hours last week alone) and the dew is very heavy just about every night. I dont have any way to protect them from that so it is what it is. Below are the toms im going to use for the sauce. The top ones on the right are almost overripe but im trying to give the ones on the left another day to catch up. Is it worse to have them too ripe or not quite ripe enough? Lol Ginny

December 1, 2014	#202
ginger2778 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10 Posts: 9,283	Ginny, maybe I can field this one. I have made sauce many times with only partially ripe some, others that were in the fridge veggie bin for a couple of weeks after I cut out a bad spot, sauce is very forgiving, just make it. I never used carrots in mine before, but I have used bacon. I have also done it with skins off, and still on. Its all super delicious. just make sure it is cooked down enough not to be watery. I have also put in a small can of tomato paste which thickens it.

December 1, 2014	#204
Barb_FL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Indialantic, Florida Posts: 2,000	I just followed the recipe exactly except some of the spices weren't fresh; and the sauce was plenty think.

December 1, 2014	#205
Fiishergurl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Oak Hill, Florida Posts: 1,781	Here are the tomatoes cooking. The recipe says simmer for two to three hours but it doesnt say covered or uncovered. Ginny

December 1, 2014	#206
Fiishergurl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Oak Hill, Florida Posts: 1,781	Here it is a few minutes later.... Ginny

December 1, 2014	#207
Barb_FL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Indialantic, Florida Posts: 2,000	That was fast; I don't recall but I went through the post and someone asked if it should be cooked uncovered and the author said "Yes, with a somewhat open lid" Then someone else said "I did simmer it with the lid on. Stirring occasionally. It cooked down beautifully and although I didn’t need to [and it would have left the sauce ever so slightly chunky] I used my immersion blender to smooth it out." So, if it is really thin, then I would take the lid off, if thick (like mine), lid stays on. Up to you....

December 1, 2014	#208
Fiishergurl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Oak Hill, Florida Posts: 1,781	Its delicious and my husband loves it. He doesnt like the store bought sauces because they are too sweet. We did leave the honey out though just because of hubbys preferences.

December 2, 2014	#210
Fiishergurl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Oak Hill, Florida Posts: 1,781	Tortellini and homemade sauce.... :-) Thank you girls.... :-) Ginny