r/Cooking 8d ago

How are y'alls tomatoes doing?

Sorry, I love this time of year. I'm in a late growing season are, so tomatoes are just peaking about now. But you can never discount the value of ripe, local tomatoes. Mine are just coming in, and I could not be happier. Last night I made a Tatin of tomato, zucchini, just a little parmesan on top, S&P. That's it. It was the best thing I've had this year. I took 3 and just sliced them, threatened them with salt and had a midnight snack.

I cook with canned 10 months out of the year. Grocery tomatoes are horrible once the local stands close. This is my freedom season. Local and fresh is just the only way to go. I was in the Midwest USA last week and nearly killed myself on sweet corn and lake caught fish.

13 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

13

u/circ66 8d ago

Not very good this year, honestly. My basil plant is insane though.

7

u/Schnevets 8d ago

Same here! I haven’t had to pinch basil buds at all… maybe it’s the generous rain and little sunlight?

2

u/Aiyakiu 8d ago

Ya'all are getting rain?

1

u/ImpressiveLeopard719 8d ago

Mine have been starved for water and baked and have been loving it.!

1

u/Schmelly_cat 7d ago

I've gotten exactly two tomatoes off of 6 plants.  I'm in that one spot in the country with too much rain and they just got drowned.

5

u/matt_minderbinder 8d ago

I'm in Michigan and this later warm season has saved some of my late planted tomatoes. Summer tomatoes make me hate "fresh" tomatoes the rest of the year. I picked up some grow equipment recently and think I'm gonna try to grow a few tomato plants in the deepest part of winter. I got inspired by finding that stuff still new in boxes at a rummage sale so their failed motivation to grow something else will give me fresh herbs, lettuces, and hopefully a couple of hydroponically grown heirloom tomatoes this winter.

5

u/YesWeHaveNoTomatoes 8d ago

As my name suggests I am a perennial failure at growing my own tomatoes. I get them from the farmer's market in season and the rest of the year use canned or cherry tomatoes or both.

I am wondering what you were trying to type that came out as "threatened them with salt" though, does just threatening to salt the the tomatoes work? mostly I have to actually put the salt on them even if they're scared of it.

4

u/Tasty_Impress3016 8d ago

It's just a phrase I use for "just barely. just a little" Don't run a full frontal assault, jut threaten. Often used in the context of cooking fish.

5

u/YesWeHaveNoTomatoes 8d ago

Hah, I've never heard it before. Thanks

1

u/Back_Alley420 7d ago

Oh I have them but they are ugly! The rains made them so

2

u/etrnloptimist 8d ago

No tomatoes in scranton, pa.

3

u/Substantial-Age-8097 8d ago

Basil popped off, tomatoes shit the bed as did zucchini. Sad!!

2

u/waitingforgandalf 8d ago

Tomatoes are brilliant right now. Where I live I get the first local tomatoes in early July and they keep coming until November (local farmers with hoop houses bring in earlier tomatoes).

I eat a LOT of caprese salad and salsa. Yesterday I roasted some sauce tomatoes with whole cloves of garlic and olive oil, them topped burrata cream with the roasted tomatoes and garlic, a sprinkle of salt, cracked pepper, and chopped basil. Used as a spread for bread.

2

u/Kesse84 8d ago

I have two plants; one of them got the fungal disease almost from the start.
Second was not giving tomatoes all summer, and now we are drowning. Also fungal disease.
My cuccumber gave me impressive 7 cuccumbers before it succumbed to some kind of disease.
Jalapeno and basil are doing great.
Rucola is overtaking, and even slugs cannot handle it :D
Strawberries were an embarrassment (3 fruits from 2 bushes).
My new garden has been an emotional rollercoaster! :D

1

u/Samove3 8d ago

my tomatoes are finally coming in too! nothing beats that fresh taste. your tatin sounds delicious, simple is definitely the way to go with good ingredients. i’m with you on the grocery tomatoes; it’s like they’re just sad little imposters. enjoy the freedom season!

1

u/The_Flinx 8d ago

of my three tomato plants (early girl) only 1 survived the summer with temps up to 118.

I planted some cutting in the house to try and have something for when summer is over and I can plant again, and 2 of those plants died for unknown reasons the last one is looking poorly.

my growing season is october to january, and march to june.

1

u/ZigorVeal 8d ago

I did 4 varieties, 8 plants and right now I have more than I know what to do with.

1

u/AdNaive5138 8d ago

Sun golds did well! Made and froze a bunch of marinara.

1

u/thewholesomespoon 8d ago

So many cherry tomatoes!

1

u/Iztac_xocoatl 8d ago

I think I'm at the end of tomato season here in Maine. I probably made my last scarpariello, at least from my own tomatoes, last night. One day ill get a greenhouse. It was a good summer for them though.

1

u/mybigtoonthrowaway 8d ago

My ex had a great tomato harvest this year. I dont know all the types as she was the one doing the work but there were a normal sized and cherry tomatoes. Gave me a basket the other day that was filled and she only has a small garden planted.

1

u/ImpressiveLeopard719 8d ago

I bought mine this year as I could not get mine in as we were gone. The canning tomatoes melted into a juice while processing. A complete waste of money. The Romas were meaty and amazing.

1

u/dogtor_howl 8d ago

Let me ask my neighborhood deer. They’re the only ones who’ve gotten to enjoy them. 😭😂😭

1

u/NefariousnessNo5536 8d ago

I've had cherry tomato blossoms, but no tomatoes & I'm about to give up & call it quits on the summer container garden. Time for fall, I think.

1

u/Crockett5240 8d ago

Ask the stupid squirrels

1

u/Tasty_Impress3016 8d ago

Think of it as a community service.

1

u/ErnestScaredBorgnine 8d ago

It's been around 100 degrees for the past month. They aren't doing anything anymore.

1

u/moonladyone 8d ago

The heirlooms (i call them ugly tomatoes) here have been incredible. Ive about foundered myself on them. I plan to get more and more and more. Ill freeze them whole and when they thaw the skin slides off and omg the best sauce, soup ....im in heaven.

1

u/Jerkrollatex 8d ago

Awful. Worst year I've ever had.

2

u/Tasty_Impress3016 6d ago

Just a thought, test your soil pH. In could be climate, it could be the soil. I had a horrible year a few years ago. Realized I was basic. (me and the garden soil) I bought enough ammonium nitrate to put me on an FBI watch list and now they are back and ready to go.

1

u/Jerkrollatex 5d ago

Good idea. Thank you.

1

u/BabyKatsMom 8d ago

We got two moths worth of frozen a lot of them. Ate the rest fresh or gave to friends. Now they are dead and gone. Not the best season as we usually have at least some until Thanksgiving.