My Garden season - Page 4

riceke · July 31, 2013

SJOELLA: I don't get it. You have no signs of disease or bug infestations. Plants are beautiful and fruits look like they are from a seed catalog. Why aren't your plants suffering like the rest of ours? It just ain't right! Seriously your garden looks maaarvelous!

efisakov · July 31, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by sjoella

how can i refuse!!! post pics...why of course i will!!!! this is all i have handy at the moment...

last night i canned 6 qts and 4 pints of rotel tomatoes which was about 20 or so lbs, and i brought into work another 8 lbs to share with folks here. no pics of that though..

this season i have grown

Brandywine, sweet million, black krim, cherokee purple, early treat, santa, jelly belly, odoriko, orange jubilee, rutgers hybrid, momotaro, orange plum, roma...and a volunteer from days gone past

Such a nice garden. Beautiful and healthy plants. Which is your favorite tomato this year so far?

Tom A To · July 31, 2013

Those are some healthy-looking tomato plants you have there. I wish mine stayed that healthy. Mine are starting to wane now but it's been a pretty good year here, despite the weather.

sjoella · July 31, 2013

Ken,

Can I keep you...what nice things you say!!! Honestly I tried to really work my soil before I planted this season. I use a small tiller then I used a rear tine tiller to work the compost in. My compost was good stuff from a local friend. Goat, sheep and chicken...but he feeds his animals very healthy, I believe this made a huge impact. I added lime. I also added Azomite. I have very little bugs to complain about. My weeds I am putting down grass clippings as they are available. Truly, I am not doing much other than harvesting and watering. I do have a plant that is done, a Momotaro. It yielded great tomatoes, then one day just plain out and died. But please...tell me more about my garden

Ella,

My favorite taste...well its a close run here. I love the flavor and productivity of the Sweet Million and Momotaro. I am in love with both blacks..Black Krim and Cherokee Purple... I will grow them all next season for certain. The Odoriko is a nice flavor and produces LOTS of fruit. The Early treat is a simple plain jane that out produces anything I have and is a really good tomato to make into salsa or rotel all 6 I will grow next season. I dont have 1 favorite...I have 6

Dennis...I am very happy with what I have and when it is gone I will think about next season daily! Soon mine will start to wither away...it happens to all of us

efisakov · August 2, 2013

It seems that you have a great season. Nice tomatoes and peppers. Your tomatoes looking healthy. I see that you do not prune them. What do you spray them with? Thanks.

sjoella · August 2, 2013

Ella...

I did prune them from when they began growing (planted April) 1-3 stems until I started harvesting last week in June. I pruned removed all stems/leaves for the bottom 12-18 inches.

I dont need to spray stuff on them because well, I just dont need to. I dont really have bugs or anything...and they are just healthy plants...

efisakov · August 2, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by sjoella

I dont need to spray stuff on them because well, I just dont need to. I dont really have bugs or anything...and they are just healthy plants...

That is a good thing.

sjoella · August 3, 2013

todays catch will be picante sauce!

efisakov · August 4, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by sjoella

todays catch will be picante sauce!

Recipe!?

Alfredo · August 4, 2013

That picante sauce looks serious! Very nice mix of peppers.
~Alfredo

sjoella · August 4, 2013

hummm....the recipe is off facebook that was very interesting...turned out fantastic though... let me see if i can find it w/o retyping it... but it may be tomorrow before i get to it...we have a visitor in the house i wanna play with...she is 7

edit--Here ya go! I like hot sauce so i added a note on making mild, medium versions...the batch i made was 7 pints worth...

HOT! PICANTE SAUCE

For the life of me I cannot find where I got the recipe from but I will retype what I did as it was a little different.

15 or so pounds of tomatoes (I use any and every variety I have in my garden)
1/2 cup apple cider
8 cloves garlic
4 onions yellow or white
20-30 hot peppers...A LOT less if you don't enjoy hottttt (I use Jalapenos, Serrano, Cayenne, and Habanero)
1-4 Ghost or Scorpion pepper
2-4 green and/or red bell peppers
¼ cup cilantro
2 limes
2 tbs garlic salt
1-2 tsp sea salt
1 tbs fresh ground pepper

1. Prepare tomatoes--(prep time about a half hour or so for all the tomatoes...cook time is around 2 hours)
Slice in 1/2, remove core. Dice tomatoes up, place in large stock pot. Add 1/4 cup of the apple cider to the pot. Stir to keep off the bottom every 10 minutes or so. You want the tomatoes to reduce down so cook on a medium/low heat. I cooked the pot where it was a gentle bubble but not too hot.

2. The rest of the ingredients...(about 20 minutes)
Add all remaining ingredients to food processor, no particular order. All peppers remove stem, slice and add to processor seeds and all. Chop onion, garlic, cilantro and all seasonings. Add lime juice and the remaining 1/4 cup of apple cider. Puree the mix. Place in Tupperware container with lid off to the side.

NOTE—if you want mild use about 0-8 hot peppers and 4-6 green and red bell peppers. If you want mild use 6-10 hot peppers and 4-6 green and red bell peppers. I love mine hot and spicy!

**washing and prepping jars here works out nicely for me**

3. Tomatoes--(about 5 minutes) immersion blenders are handy here, but I don’t have one…
After an hour or so, once the tomatoes have broken down you will process them in the food processor. It took about 3 rounds for me to get all the tomatoes from the stock pot. I used a large bowl to help here. I scooped the hot tomatoes from the pot into the processor...pureed them and poured into the large bowl until all tomatoes were processed. Then I put them back into the stock pot. Then let them cook down for another 20 minutes or so. Enough that you see the liquids have been reduced down nicely.

4. Tomatoes--remove skins and seeds (10 minutes)
Again you will process the tomatoes, but this time you will pour into your mesh strainer bowl so remove seeds and skins. Once all tomatoes have been processed and strained, place back into stock pot. Add the pureed peppers into the pot. Cook for 30 minutes.

Fill into pint or quart jars whichever is your preference. Process in water bath 45 for pint, 90 for quarts. Let sit in water for 5 minutes after removed from heat.

ChristinaJo · August 5, 2013

That recipe is making me hungry and pass the tortilla chips!

newatthiskat · August 6, 2013

OK I am incredibly impressed. I am also curious. How many of each plant and how many total plants did you grow to get all those beautiful tomatoes!!

sjoella · August 6, 2013

Sweet Million-4ea
Momotaro--5ea
Orange Jubilee-2ea
Early Treat-7ea
Black Krim-2ea
Odoriko-5ea
Brandywine-1ea
Cherokee Purple-1ea
Roma-9ea
Rutgers Hybrid-3ea
Orange Plum-2ea
Jelly Belly-4ea
Santa-1ea

While other folks have bigger harvest, I have a running tally in the kitchen at home, I have not added it up but I am guessing just over 200 lbs thus far...small in comparsion to those who aim for 20lbs per plant.

I am happy. I eat as much as I want and the family wants, share a ton with others, and have about 4 dozen jars canned already. I am not complaining...

madddawg · August 10, 2013

Just looked at your garden picts. That is a nice looking garden and healthy looking plants. Mines got blight so bad

. I bet that keeps you quite busy. That's a nice variety of tomatoes. I usually stick with "traditional" tomatoes, Better Boy, Rutgers, Celebrity. Just Red round 1/2 to 1 pound tomatoes. Just last year I tried Cherokee Purple and Kentucky Yellow Beefsteak. Got them again this year, turned out nice. Maybe next year I will try out some of the ones I see people have on here

July 31, 2013	#46
riceke Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Snellville, GA Posts: 346	SJOELLA: I don't get it. You have no signs of disease or bug infestations. Plants are beautiful and fruits look like they are from a seed catalog. Why aren't your plants suffering like the rest of ours? It just ain't right! Seriously your garden looks maaarvelous! __________________ *Ken*

July 31, 2013	#48
Tom A To Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Pilot Hill, Ca. Posts: 307	Those are some healthy-looking tomato plants you have there. I wish mine stayed that healthy. Mine are starting to wane now but it's been a pretty good year here, despite the weather. __________________ -Dennis Audios, Tomatoville. Posted my final post and time to move on.

August 2, 2013	#50
efisakov Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: NJ, zone 7 Posts: 3,162	It seems that you have a great season. Nice tomatoes and peppers. Your tomatoes looking healthy. I see that you do not prune them. What do you spray them with? Thanks. __________________ Ella God comes along and says, "I think I'm going to create THE tomato!”

August 4, 2013	#56
sjoella Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: chesapeake, virginia Posts: 89	hummm....the recipe is off facebook that was very interesting...turned out fantastic though... let me see if i can find it w/o retyping it... but it may be tomorrow before i get to it...we have a visitor in the house i wanna play with...she is 7 edit--Here ya go! I like hot sauce so i added a note on making mild, medium versions...the batch i made was 7 pints worth... HOT! PICANTE SAUCE For the life of me I cannot find where I got the recipe from but I will retype what I did as it was a little different. 15 or so pounds of tomatoes (I use any and every variety I have in my garden) 1/2 cup apple cider 8 cloves garlic 4 onions yellow or white 20-30 hot peppers...A LOT less if you don't enjoy hottttt (I use Jalapenos, Serrano, Cayenne, and Habanero) 1-4 Ghost or Scorpion pepper 2-4 green and/or red bell peppers ¼ cup cilantro 2 limes 2 tbs garlic salt 1-2 tsp sea salt 1 tbs fresh ground pepper 1. Prepare tomatoes--(prep time about a half hour or so for all the tomatoes...cook time is around 2 hours) Slice in 1/2, remove core. Dice tomatoes up, place in large stock pot. Add 1/4 cup of the apple cider to the pot. Stir to keep off the bottom every 10 minutes or so. You want the tomatoes to reduce down so cook on a medium/low heat. I cooked the pot where it was a gentle bubble but not too hot. 2. The rest of the ingredients...(about 20 minutes) Add all remaining ingredients to food processor, no particular order. All peppers remove stem, slice and add to processor seeds and all. Chop onion, garlic, cilantro and all seasonings. Add lime juice and the remaining 1/4 cup of apple cider. Puree the mix. Place in Tupperware container with lid off to the side. NOTE—if you want mild use about 0-8 hot peppers and 4-6 green and red bell peppers. If you want mild use 6-10 hot peppers and 4-6 green and red bell peppers. I love mine hot and spicy! washing and prepping jars here works out nicely for me 3. Tomatoes--(about 5 minutes) immersion blenders are handy here, but I don’t have one… After an hour or so, once the tomatoes have broken down you will process them in the food processor. It took about 3 rounds for me to get all the tomatoes from the stock pot. I used a large bowl to help here. I scooped the hot tomatoes from the pot into the processor...pureed them and poured into the large bowl until all tomatoes were processed. Then I put them back into the stock pot. Then let them cook down for another 20 minutes or so. Enough that you see the liquids have been reduced down nicely. 4. Tomatoes--remove skins and seeds (10 minutes) Again you will process the tomatoes, but this time you will pour into your mesh strainer bowl so remove seeds and skins. Once all tomatoes have been processed and strained, place back into stock pot. Add the pureed peppers into the pot. Cook for 30 minutes. Fill into pint or quart jars whichever is your preference. Process in water bath 45 for pint, 90 for quarts. Let sit in water for 5 minutes after removed from heat. Last edited by sjoella; August 5, 2013 at 01:58 PM.

August 10, 2013	#60
madddawg Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Missouri Posts: 407	Just looked at your garden picts. That is a nice looking garden and healthy looking plants. Mines got blight so bad. I bet that keeps you quite busy. That's a nice variety of tomatoes. I usually stick with "traditional" tomatoes, Better Boy, Rutgers, Celebrity. Just Red round 1/2 to 1 pound tomatoes. Just last year I tried Cherokee Purple and Kentucky Yellow Beefsteak. Got them again this year, turned out nice. Maybe next year I will try out some of the ones I see people have on here __________________ I grow a garden not just for the food I harvest, but for the creation of life itself. Johnny Cash

August 4, 2013	#55
Alfredo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Clifton, NJ Posts: 554	That picante sauce looks serious! Very nice mix of peppers. ~Alfredo

August 5, 2013	#57
ChristinaJo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: NE Texas Posts: 425	That recipe is making me hungry and pass the tortilla chips!

August 6, 2013	#58
newatthiskat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: texas Posts: 1,451	OK I am incredibly impressed. I am also curious. How many of each plant and how many total plants did you grow to get all those beautiful tomatoes!!