Whatcha gonna do with all them maters?

Fusion_power · March 5, 2007

I have a very convenient neighbor. He sees my tomato plants growing and about the time they get ripe, he comes out to the garden and asks "Whatcha gonna do with all them maters?". I have enough and more to share because I grow 300 to 400 plants every year, and he is a pretty decent neighbor who sometimes mows my lawn gratis, so I don't mind giving him a few buckets full.

But that is not the reason for this thread. Several people have posted that they will be growing some number of plants this year ranging from a few up to several thousand. What I want to know is "Whatcha gonna do with all them maters?"

My answer is save about 200,000 seed, fill about 100 quart jars, sell about 3 truckloads, and last but certainly not least, do my very best to eat at least 20 or 30 gallons of them fresh.

Whatcha gonna do?

Whatcha gonna do?

Whatcha gonna do with all them maters?

Fusion

shelleybean · March 5, 2007

I used to give a ton of fresh tomatoes away each season but I've successfully converted a bunch of people I know into gardeners. I used to start their plants for them and now I've managed to get a few of them to try it for themselves. Now I swap seeds and have mini tomato tastings with these people. I'll still give a few away but I'll eat a bunch of them fresh, dry some, can some, make some into salsa and make some into sauce and freeze that. I'm sure the first tomato I pick will be a cherry but I'm really looking forward to a tomato sandwich with Martin's whole wheat potoato bread and some Duke's mayo!

blatanna · March 5, 2007

Well, I usually give a lot away to family members.
I make this lovely herby tomato and potato soup and freeze several batches to use over the winter.
I make a lot os salza, am going to make tomato sauce for the first time this year and then i will freeze the rest whole. I will use these in stews and winter dishes.

spyfferoni · March 5, 2007

I made 20 pints of Annie's Salsa last year and we just finished our last jar, so I know I'm going to have to can a lot more. My Mom has already put in her order. I also like making fresh salsa and pasta with fresh tomato sauce. I even put the tomatoes in my scrambled eggs, and I like them sliced with a touch of salt and pepper, or a tomato/cucumber salad. Dang! I'm getting hungry! I just want a decent tasting tomato. I usually give some away too, and maybe enter some in the county fair. I want to save some seeds this year too.

Tyffanie

Earl · March 5, 2007

Gonna do most all the above! :-)

Ruth_10 · March 5, 2007

Our harvest in 2004 from 28 plants was 815 lbs; in 2005 from 30 plants, 544 lbs, and in 2006 from 30 plants, 570 lbs. I never weigh the cherry tomatoes, so they don't figure into the weight totals.

1. Can about 70 quarts. Before canning, we reduce them by about half volume on the stove, so they're good to go for lots of uses. We use most for sauce on pasta. I am going to try to get some to my mom (who lives several states away), who for the first time in probably 60 years didn't do any canning, due to some health problems.

2. Give some (fresh) away to the people we get horse manure from. Give some to the neighbors.

3. Give some away to colleagues at work.

4. Eat fresh in BLTs, tomato-cucumber salad, sliced on toast with a sprinkle of Italian dressing, and one of my favorites, do side by side taste tests at lunch time with my husband.

5. Save some seed.

6. Sadly, quite a few go to waste, maybe a third I never pick or pitch over the fence. I just can't keep up with them.

Volvo · March 6, 2007

Enjoy eating real tomatos once again

...
Keep seed for friends and rellies....
All my Children now live away from home so will be able to keep them fed with real Tommies and DO KNOW my grandchildren absolutely love the taste of Tomatos..
And whats left over the neighbours and close friends can have.......
Annnnnddddif i can find a recipe with Tomatos to throw through the Breadmaker8)

....

WVTomatoMan · March 6, 2007

I'm cutting back this year (no really I am), but I'll still:

1) Make gallons of salsa.
2) Bring several to work each day for tastings.
3) Give away to family and friends (and do some trades).
4) Last, but certainly not least, eat as many good tasting fresh tomatoes as I can.

Randy

Araness · March 6, 2007

Gonna eat em for the most part, fresh and in salsa and pasta. And then of course I have several plants that are just for the neighbors. I live in a neighborhood that is mostly elderly retired people and they aren't able to garden so getting fresh produce from our garden is a treat. The DH work has now started requesting some also...and last but not least gotta FedEx my Father in Alabama several boxes full.

jenn_sc · March 6, 2007

I'm going to eat all the fresh tomatoes I can stand, first thing. Then I'm going to hope for some left after that to cook with...salsa, pasta sauce, pizza (homemade heirloom tomato pizza ROCKS!) and I'm going to give a few away.

I'm also going to save seed for next year

Good gardening everyone!

celticman · March 6, 2007

Eat Them
Sause Them
Eat Some more
Save some Seeds
Eat Some more
Give a few away
Eat Some More
Plants some more for fall
Eat Some More

jungseed · March 6, 2007

I'm so jealous I could spit!!! Even as a child my favorite breakfast (and lunch) was a fresh sliced tomato with cottage cheese on it. A real BLT??!!! tomato and cuke salad??!! Because I move every May I can't grow tomatoes (or haven't figured out how to do it right). I have two groups that come up each year and bring a couple fresh tomatoes for me. It's just heaven!!!

Spatzbear · March 6, 2007

I looooove my glut of tomatoes.

We eat heaps fresh - there are tons on the kitchen bench and we snack on them while passing through.

Salads, Insalada Caprese, Bruschetta, tomato sauce for pasta...

Then I preserve tons in my jars for winter. The pantry is nicely stacked. Tomato paste (frozen as ice cubes in containers), salsa, ketchup, etc.

Giving heaps to family and friends. The toms are always welcome.

It's very satisfying to have a glut and being able to share it with people.

Seed saving has been a bit slow, as quite a lot of flowers have dropped in their bags. Might have to rethink how I save seeds to keep them pure.

pooklette · March 6, 2007

All cherry tomatoes will be harvested and eaten like candy. (Some will be gutted for seed saving...and THEN eaten like candy.)

All the others will be used for/in:

Saving seeds
Marinara sauce
Salsa
BLTs and other sandwiches
Stuffed with tuna salad or chicken salad
Diced, to top off tossed salads
'Freebies' for our very awsome neighbors (who just happen to be vegetarians that really appreciate treats from our garden)

I also really hope that we'll be able to use some for fresh veggie donations to our local food pantries. We're more than doubling the size of our garden this year to support my gardening 'hobby' and if all goes according to plan, we'll have way more tomatoes and other veggies than we can use ourselves. Our county extension office keeps a list of organizations that are requesting fresh fruit and/or veggie donations and I'd really like an opportunity to use that list.

**Lee** · March 6, 2007

All my extra tomatoes go to Tomatopalooza[tm].

Lee

March 5, 2007	#1
Fusion_power Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,250	Whatcha gonna do with all them maters? I have a very convenient neighbor. He sees my tomato plants growing and about the time they get ripe, he comes out to the garden and asks "Whatcha gonna do with all them maters?". I have enough and more to share because I grow 300 to 400 plants every year, and he is a pretty decent neighbor who sometimes mows my lawn gratis, so I don't mind giving him a few buckets full. But that is not the reason for this thread. Several people have posted that they will be growing some number of plants this year ranging from a few up to several thousand. What I want to know is "Whatcha gonna do with all them maters?" My answer is save about 200,000 seed, fill about 100 quart jars, sell about 3 truckloads, and last but certainly not least, do my very best to eat at least 20 or 30 gallons of them fresh. Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do with all them maters? Fusion

March 5, 2007	#2
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	I used to give a ton of fresh tomatoes away each season but I've successfully converted a bunch of people I know into gardeners. I used to start their plants for them and now I've managed to get a few of them to try it for themselves. Now I swap seeds and have mini tomato tastings with these people. I'll still give a few away but I'll eat a bunch of them fresh, dry some, can some, make some into salsa and make some into sauce and freeze that. I'm sure the first tomato I pick will be a cherry but I'm really looking forward to a tomato sandwich with Martin's whole wheat potoato bread and some Duke's mayo! __________________ Michele

March 5, 2007	#3
blatanna Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 150	Whatcha gonna do with all them maters Well, I usually give a lot away to family members. I make this lovely herby tomato and potato soup and freeze several batches to use over the winter. I make a lot os salza, am going to make tomato sauce for the first time this year and then i will freeze the rest whole. I will use these in stews and winter dishes. __________________ Blatanna

March 5, 2007	#6
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	Our harvest in 2004 from 28 plants was 815 lbs; in 2005 from 30 plants, 544 lbs, and in 2006 from 30 plants, 570 lbs. I never weigh the cherry tomatoes, so they don't figure into the weight totals. 1. Can about 70 quarts. Before canning, we reduce them by about half volume on the stove, so they're good to go for lots of uses. We use most for sauce on pasta. I am going to try to get some to my mom (who lives several states away), who for the first time in probably 60 years didn't do any canning, due to some health problems. 2. Give some (fresh) away to the people we get horse manure from. Give some to the neighbors. 3. Give some away to colleagues at work. 4. Eat fresh in BLTs, tomato-cucumber salad, sliced on toast with a sprinkle of Italian dressing, and one of my favorites, do side by side taste tests at lunch time with my husband. 5. Save some seed. 6. Sadly, quite a few go to waste, maybe a third I never pick or pitch over the fence. I just can't keep up with them. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

March 6, 2007	#7
Volvo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Australia Posts: 289	Enjoy eating real tomatos once again ... Keep seed for friends and rellies.... All my Children now live away from home so will be able to keep them fed with real Tommies and DO KNOW my grandchildren absolutely love the taste of Tomatos.. And whats left over the neighbours and close friends can have....... Annnnnddddif i can find a recipe with Tomatos to throw through the Breadmaker8) .... __________________ Good Better Best Never let It rest Until Your Good Is Better And Your Better Best

March 5, 2007	#4
spyfferoni Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Utah Posts: 675	I made 20 pints of Annie's Salsa last year and we just finished our last jar, so I know I'm going to have to can a lot more. My Mom has already put in her order. I also like making fresh salsa and pasta with fresh tomato sauce. I even put the tomatoes in my scrambled eggs, and I like them sliced with a touch of salt and pepper, or a tomato/cucumber salad. Dang! I'm getting hungry! I just want a decent tasting tomato. I usually give some away too, and maybe enter some in the county fair. I want to save some seeds this year too. Tyffanie

March 5, 2007	#5
Earl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 1,278	Gonna do most all the above! :-)

March 6, 2007	#8
WVTomatoMan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: West Virginia - Zone 6 Posts: 594	I'm cutting back this year (no really I am), but I'll still: 1) Make gallons of salsa. 2) Bring several to work each day for tastings. 3) Give away to family and friends (and do some trades). 4) Last, but certainly not least, eat as many good tasting fresh tomatoes as I can. Randy

March 6, 2007	#9
Araness Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: SE Texas Posts: 42	Gonna eat em for the most part, fresh and in salsa and pasta. And then of course I have several plants that are just for the neighbors. I live in a neighborhood that is mostly elderly retired people and they aren't able to garden so getting fresh produce from our garden is a treat. The DH work has now started requesting some also...and last but not least gotta FedEx my Father in Alabama several boxes full. __________________ "Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing." - Wernher Von Braun (1912-1977)

March 6, 2007	#10
jenn_sc SPLATT™ Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Florence, SC Posts: 502	I'm going to eat all the fresh tomatoes I can stand, first thing. Then I'm going to hope for some left after that to cook with...salsa, pasta sauce, pizza (homemade heirloom tomato pizza ROCKS!) and I'm going to give a few away. I'm also going to save seed for next year Good gardening everyone!

March 6, 2007	#11
celticman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: NC Posts: 170	Eat Them Sause Them Eat Some more Save some Seeds Eat Some more Give a few away Eat Some More Plants some more for fall Eat Some More

March 6, 2007	#12
jungseed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Pardeeville, WI Posts: 318	I'm so jealous I could spit!!! Even as a child my favorite breakfast (and lunch) was a fresh sliced tomato with cottage cheese on it. A real BLT??!!! tomato and cuke salad??!! Because I move every May I can't grow tomatoes (or haven't figured out how to do it right). I have two groups that come up each year and bring a couple fresh tomatoes for me. It's just heaven!!!

March 6, 2007	#13
Spatzbear Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Adelaide Hills, Australia Posts: 349	I looooove my glut of tomatoes. We eat heaps fresh - there are tons on the kitchen bench and we snack on them while passing through. Salads, Insalada Caprese, Bruschetta, tomato sauce for pasta... Then I preserve tons in my jars for winter. The pantry is nicely stacked. Tomato paste (frozen as ice cubes in containers), salsa, ketchup, etc. Giving heaps to family and friends. The toms are always welcome. It's very satisfying to have a glut and being able to share it with people. Seed saving has been a bit slow, as quite a lot of flowers have dropped in their bags. Might have to rethink how I save seeds to keep them pure.

March 6, 2007	#14
pooklette Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Zone 5 Posts: 262	All cherry tomatoes will be harvested and eaten like candy. (Some will be gutted for seed saving...and THEN eaten like candy.) All the others will be used for/in: Saving seeds Marinara sauce Salsa BLTs and other sandwiches Stuffed with tuna salad or chicken salad Diced, to top off tossed salads 'Freebies' for our very awsome neighbors (who just happen to be vegetarians that really appreciate treats from our garden) I also really hope that we'll be able to use some for fresh veggie donations to our local food pantries. We're more than doubling the size of our garden this year to support my gardening 'hobby' and if all goes according to plan, we'll have way more tomatoes and other veggies than we can use ourselves. Our county extension office keeps a list of organizations that are requesting fresh fruit and/or veggie donations and I'd really like an opportunity to use that list.

March 6, 2007	#15
Lee Tomatopalooza™ Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NC-Zone 7 Posts: 2,188	All my extra tomatoes go to Tomatopalooza[tm]. Lee __________________ Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad. Cuostralee - The best thing on sliced bread.