NYC Gardener: Tomato surprise

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Tomato surprise

Seed packets from Tomatofest.com

This is a season of experimenting for NYC Gardener. Every year for the past six seasons, we've planted Brandywine and Cherokee Purple tomatoes along with several other varieties like Aunt Ruby's German Green and Chocolate Stripes. Last year, we didn't even buy new seeds, opting to repeat 2010's choices. This year we're going rogue. We have skipped our standard bearers all together to try out six new varieties. We went to our favorite heirloom seed site TomatoFest and looked through dozens of descriptions for tomatoes that might be just as delicious but easier to grow. I do love the Brandywine and Cherokee beefsteaks, but they take a long time to mature, so the plants are not as productive as they could be. The fruit gets so heavy on the vines that they're at risk to the windy conditions we get on our terrace. Heavy rain often causes cracking. So, this year, we decided to go for varieties that mature a bit earlier and grow a bit smaller. We love green heirlooms, so we chose Green Zebra, a tomato served at Alice Waters' Chez Panisse. We wanted a Roma tomato to make great sauces and the Pantano Romanesco sounded like a hearty and flavorful option. We also picked one of Tomato Fest's top 10 for 2012, the Black from Tula, a Russian import with a smokey flavor. We didn't entirely turn our backs on the beefsteak. We're trying out Neves Azorean Red, "the ultimate sandwich tomato," advertised as tasty, disease resistant and productive until a frost. The only repeat is the Angora Super Sweet cherry, which we planted a few seasons ago and very much enjoyed. Last on our list is Kellogg's Breakfast, an orange beefsteak that came as a bonus from Tomato Fest. It's said to be sweet, tangy and nearly seedless. If all goes well, we should have a bang up crop. Even more amazing, all our plants are out in their pots and basking in the fresh air, more than a week ahead of our usual schedule. So, here's to a season of change!

Tomato in the pot

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Where we get our stuff

Here's a list of places for supplies:
Tomatofest.com is a great place to shop for organic heirloom tomato seeds
The Drip Store carries automated watering systems, from timers to tubing - at dripirrigation.com -
Home Depot has the best bell pepper plants around - either in Manhattan on 23rd St. or in Yonkers, where they have a big gardening/outdoor section
Whole Foods carries a good selection of organic seeds. We've had good luck with the organic sweet basil seeds
Saiffee Hardware on 1st Avenue and 7th St. in Manhattan carries Hoffman Tomato Food, natural pesticides and more. For a local shop, they're pretty well stocked on pots, cedar planters, and essentials for raising urban crops
Union Square Green Market is the place we head each spring for our starter flowers, eggplants and herbs. Sometimes they come with little bugs and pests, so we have to chose carefully!

Gotta cook

With so many veggies, one must make some tasty dishes:

Aunt Joan's Roasted Peppers
This recipe is so easy, and you can use peppers from the garden or store bought...My Aunt Joan loves them with mozzarella.
Ingredients
3 large peppers, one red, one yellow, one orange
3 cloves of garlic
olive oil
Directions
Wash and core peppers and cut into wide strips, about two and a half inches thick. Flatten the strips and lay them on a baking sheet that has been covered in tin foil.
Coarsley chop the garlic and set aside.
Turn on the broiler and put the peppers underneath the flame, until the tops blacken (about 10 minutes or less depending on how close they are to the flame.) Don't worry if they look burned, that's the point. Once the skin is black, remove the sheet from the oven.
Spread the chopped garlic on top of the peppers and wrap the whole shebang in the foil on the baking sheet. Allow to sit about half an hour until the peppers are cool enough to handle. Peel off the blackened skin and discard. Put the roasted peppers and garlic, which has been steamed by the hot peppers, into a container, add olive oil, and voila - roasted peppers, just like a restaurant. Enjoy!

Summer Gazpacho (from Simply Recipes)
I love this recipe. It's easy to follow and the soup tastes great!
Ingredients
6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped, 1 purple onion, finely chopped, 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped,1 sweet red bell pepper (or green) seeded and chopped, 2 stalks celery, chopped, 1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, 2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 teaspoons sugar, Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste, 6 or more drops of Tabasco sauce to taste, 4 cups tomato juice
Directions: Combine all ingredients. Blend slightly, to desired consistency. Place in non-metal, non-reactive storage container, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, allowing flavors to blend.
Serves 8.

Aunt Joan's Fresh Tomato Sauce
My aunt loves to pile this sauce on fish, chicken or a piece of fresh Italian bread.
Ingredients:
Five or six ripe red tomatoes
Two tablespoons of olive oil
Two garlic cloves, minced
Small handful of fresh Basil leaves
Salt & Pepper
Directions:
Put tomatoes in a bowl and pop in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the skin is just cracking. Let cool.
Peel the skin off the tomatoes over the bowl, catching the juice and the pulp. Discard the skin.
Add olive oil to saute pan over low heat. Saute garlic until tender (one or two minutes.) Add the peeled tomatoes. Stir and mash the pulp. Add salt, pepper and basil. Cook until the sauce thickens a bit. Enjoy immediately or freeze.

Cherry Tomato Confit (New York Times)
This one is simple, tasty and takes care of those piles of ripe tomatoes
Ingredients:
Basket of cherry tomatoes, forked, and
Several small red and yellow tomatoes, halved
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed and stem discarded
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Coarse sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread tomatoes and garlic out on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with rosemary, crushed red pepper, a large pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper. Bake until tomatoes are wrinkled and fragrant, about 45 minutes, shaking pan once or twice. Transfer tomato pan to a rack to cool. Discard garlic. Use confit in salads, or serve over dishes like pasta, fresh ricotta cheese or polenta

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Thursday, May 24, 2012

Tomato surprise

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