A Love Affair With Tomatoes
It’s summer and it’s time for tomatoes. Ask anyone what their favorite summer vegetable is and the answer will usually be tomatoes. Whether you buy them at a roadside stand, farmers market or grow your own, there are hundreds of varieties in every color, size and taste imaginable.
I love tomatoes, especially vine ripe heirloom tomatoes! One bit and their incredible flavor makes me smile. When you are lucky enough to find heirloom tomatoes at your local market or farm stand, they are usually very expensive so when we lived in New England, I grew my own. You will probably pay less for seeds and growing supplies than buying a couple bags of heirloom tomatoes. The reward will be evident with the first taste of a just picked vine ripened tomato.
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I’ve always thought that successfully growing your own tomatoes is a little like raising children. It doesn’t matter if you start them from seed or starter plants from a garden center, they need nourishment, a warm home environment, and tender loving care.
While it is too hot and rainy to successfully grow tomatoes here in my part of Florida, I did enjoy the years that I had gardens at our homes in New England. Each spring, I would start tomato plants from seed in my potting shed at our home in New Hampshire and then take them to our summer cottage on the lake in Maine and plant them when the threat of frost ended on May 31st. The Cherokee Purples were the first of the heirlooms to ripen in July and the tomato’s taste was outstanding…a true rich flavor and very juicy.
Fresh picked tomatoes are wonderful in a soup like gazpacho or sliced, topped with cheese, fresh herbs and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, They can be mixed with other summer vegetables in a salad or served as a main course stuffed with chicken, tuna or even lobster salad. My husband and I always took the first ripe tomato that we picked in July and made a BLT sandwich of thick smoked bacon, lettuce and tomato, sometimes with added avocado.
Click on any photo to enlarge and see a slide show.
When entertaining, a tomato, spinach and goat cheese tart makes a great appetizer. A Mexican meatloaf topped with a warm tomato salsa and a side of fresh corn is A great summer meal when the local farm stands also have just picked corn. We love tomatoes oven roasted and laden with herbs from the garden or with a Provencal stuffing. When there was a bounty of ripe tomatoes lining the kitchen counter, a simple plate of spaghetti topped with an Italian tomato sauce such as Puttanesca was perfect.
Yes, I can truly say that tomatoes are my favorite summer vegetable or should I say fruit. I really do miss being able to harvest those heirloom tomatoes directly from my garden. Now I am like a lot of you and pay dearly when I can find heirloom tomatoes at the market. They are expensive but to me, their flavors can’t be beat.
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Do you have a vegetable garden and if so, do you grow tomatoes? Perhaps you have a couple of potted tomatoes growing on your back deck. My favorites that I had success growing were Cherokee Purple, Brandywine and Black Krim for regular size tomatoes and my favorite cherry tomatoes were Sungold, Black Cherry and Superset 100’s.
Lovely post, Karen!!
Good to see your back! Happy 4th!!
Thank you Anna for the nice compliment and wish. I’ve had a problem with my hand that made working on the computer difficult. Thankfully it is a little better.
Summer tomatoes are the best! We love tomato pie. We always grow cherry tomatoes, they are easy and don’t need much attention…now I’m craving a BLT!
Jenna
You are right about cherry tomatoes being easier to grow, Jenna. I haven’t had a tomato pie since we sold our summer house…they a great.
I love tomatoes too – I bought mine from the farmer this morning.
Nice to get fresh tomatoes right from the farmer, Mad Dog. I bet they were delicious.
They are – I use them for everything, raw and cooked.
I was just in my garden inspecting my tomato crop so this is a very timely post! My favorite tomato to grow is also Cherokee Purple. The flavor is outstanding and on a BLAT it’s the best! It’s always a struggle growing tomatoes here in SE Wisconsin because of the high humidity thanks to Lake Michgan. I saw several leaves curling and turning yellow at the bottom of several plants :(. I’ve stopped growing cherry tomatoes this summer as my husband prefers slicing tomatoes and they take up a lot of real estate on the fence which I have now devoted to growing several types of cucumbers. I’ve already pinned your Mexican Meatloaf. How delicious with the tortillas instead of bread crumbs!
Hi Susan, I had leaf curl on my tomato plants the last year at our farm. I tried to keep the affected leaves trimmed so that it wouldn’t spread. Sorry to hear that a couple of your plants have it. I’m glad you like the Mexican meatloaf recipe. It is one of our favorite dishes and the tortillas add extra flavor to the dish.
I’m with you, tomatoes are the best when they are home grown. I always look forward to making summer salsa, a thick slice to go on a burger, cherry tomatoes to roast or a make a tomato salad!
Hi Jan, It seems that you like tomatoes in all the same ways that I do. 😊
I love tomatoes but I have never had luck growing them. The closest I can come to home grown tomatoes are the ones from my favorite produce stand. Their tomatoes are know as “Davis Killer Tomatoes”. Here in the south a summer favorite is a tomato sandwich – bread, Duke’s mayonnaise, and sliced tomato with salt and pepper. A favorite quote from Lewis Grizzard, one of my favorite southern writers, is “It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato”
Hi Beth, I have to agree with you, a tomato sandwich really does need Duke’s. I have been having problems leaving messages on your blog so I’ll wish you a belated happy birthday now.
Karen, we are in agreement on the Duke’s! I always have to have some in my pantry and buy it when it is buy one get one at the grocery store! Sorry you are have problems leaving messages. I don’t know what is causing that. Thanks for the belated birthday wish!
Couldn’t agree more, Karen. Tomatoes are the best. We practically live on them in the summer. Sadly I don’t have enough light in my backyard to grow them myself, but our local farm market keeps me happy.
Hi Frank, I rely on the farmers market as well now for my tomatoes but I do miss having the ability to pick what I needed right from my garden.
We count the moments, don’t we, until that first beautiful bulb of brilliant red is ready for the picking. Found some at the farmers market this morning. It will be a good lunch of tomato sandwiches.
Enjoy that tomato sandwich, I know it will be great Dorothy.
Thank you!
Great post. Summer tomatoes are indeed the best. So juicy and aromatic. 🙂
Thank you for your nice compliment Ronit, I’m glad you enjoyed the tomato post.
Karen, this is a delicious post! I love tomatoes and we have grown the Cherokee Purples. My hubby did not plant tomatoes this year, and we are missing them!
I understand completely Pam, the first year you stop growing tomatoes we question why. They are not the easiest crop to grow but they certainly are delicious.
We love tomatoes as well! They are not quite ready in Pennsylvania, but as soon as they are, I’ll be the first to make a BLT sandwich!
Great post!
Thank you Nancy, I’m happy to know you enjoyed the post.Our tomatoes in Maine usually weren’t ready to pick until July but that first one always went into a BLT.
I love fresh tomatoes as well. They are plentiful here in Spain as they can be grown all year round. They taste so good too. I eat the grape tomatoes like candy!
Hi Darlene, Spain does have great tomatoes. I remember having ripe tomatoes rubbed on toasted country bread for breakfast when we were in Barcelona.
Tostada con tomate is one of my favourite breakfasts!
I can see why, it does make for a delicious start to the day.
So many wonderful recipes with tomatoes! I like heirloom tomatoes.
angiesrecipes
http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com
Hi Angie, I’m glad you enjoyed the tomato recipes, thank you.
Hello Karen, love your tomato post! We always have them in the garden, and last year we were experimenting both with heirloom and types unknown to us; some went in the garden and some on my balcony as we were trying to figure out which ones were worth planting again this year.
Unfortunately only 4 types grew at all, the rest didn’t even appear… due to the abysmal weather here this spring. We’ll see which ones turn out well.
On another note – I just wish tomatoes would always taste as good as they look, but as with humans, looks can be deceiving 🤣
Hi Kiki, it is nice to hear from you. Sorry that the weather didn’t cooperate and that you didn’t have but a couple of tomato plants from your seeds. Hopefully the ones that did come up will produce a nice crop.
Your photos are such vivid colors! Almost like paintings instead of real life. I agree with you about tomatoes — the ones grown by local farmers have become very expensive recently. In peak season there used to be big baskets for not too much money, but that seems to be another antiquated memory.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Hi Mae, It is nice to have you stop by for a visit and I appreciate your lovely compliment about my photos…thank you. Yes, the price of tomatoes has gone up considerably.
Hi Mae, just wanted to let you know that I can’t leave a comment on your blog.
Love, love this – “I love tomatoes, especially vine ripe heirloom tomatoes!” Great culinary images!
Hi Mary, thank you for stopping by for a visit and your nice compliment about the photos. Your hot weather in Texas must make it a challenge for those that grow the heirloom tomatoes.
Here in Texas vegetables garden do very well with water and planting at the correct time of the year! Heirloom tomatoes in Texas – YES!!
I have a teeny yard, but I grow four tomato plants every year. It’s always a bit dicey whether they will flourish, and if I’ll get to them before the squirrels pounce. But I feel such satisfaction growing my own, plus nothing beats devouring perfectly ripe cherry tomatoes right off the vine.
Hi Carolyn, It really is hard to keep the critters from eating the tomatoes. Chipmunks were a problem in Maine and a ground hog at the farm in New Hampshire were my enemies. Good luck with your crop this year. 😊
Thank you! We need all the luck we can get with those critters. 😉
Delicious post. I grow tomatoes every year and only eat my homegrown ones. Turning up my nose at everyone else’s! You have to start them in late summer. I just picked the last cherries.
Hi Amelia, You are right, the growing season is very different here in our part of Florida.
As a boy and young man, I eschewed tomatoes. I was naive and didn’t appreciate the varieties and the associated flavours and textures. I also didn’t understand how some olive oil, salt, and vinegar can transform a tomato.
Oh the wonders we learn over the years. You are right about a little oil, vinegar and salt, I’m happy to know that you appreciated tomatoes now.
I’ve grown tomatoes from seed for many years. I needed to rotate this year so I’m trying them in five gallon buckets. They are growing well and have blossoms, but so far no crop to report on. We’ve also had unbelievable gray and rainy weather so I don’t know what that will do to their progress.
Hi Judy, I grew cherry tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets one year when all my plants wouldn’t fit in the garden. 😊 I hope you get a nice crop even if you haven’t had the sunniest of days.
I love your pics on this post. We just picked our first ripe tomato for the year.
Hi Larry, that first tomato always tastes extra special. Hope you have a bountiful crop.
I share that same love for tomatoes! I absolutely can’t get enough.
It is nice to know you love tomatoes as much as I do Hannah.
Although, Florida grows a majority of the tomatoes from May-December-you would think based on this, tomatoes are easy to grow here. Like you said it gets too hot, and rainy! I spent years growing tomatoes in my garden ( nothing beats a fresh tomato) and by June it was a hot, buggy mess (laugh).
You shared many great recipe ideas to enjoy the harvest of summer tomatoes.
Hi Velva, you made me laugh with your comment concerning our weather here in Florida as a hot, buggy mess…so very true. 😊
We always have tomatoes growing in summer. Just one vine of cherry tomatoes that Dave shares with the dog who eats them off the vine. This year I am planting a variety we bought back from Italy.
I hope your seeds from Italy will be successful Tandy.
My favorite time of the growing season – tomatoes.
I couldn’t agree more Bernadette.
My husband loves pizza, spaghetti, lasagne — all things “tomato-y.” But he doesn’t like fresh tomatoes. He always gives me his extras from a salad or a sandwich eaten out. He doesn’t know what he’s missing. I eat tomatoes like an apple!
Nice to hear from you Rosemary, I hope you are well. That is funny about your husband and his taste when it comes to fresh tomatoes. At least it means more for you.
Our tomato season doesn’t really kick in till August but I love it — always overbuying! And of course there is the making/freezing of marinara sauce bases for future pasta dishes. (And with a blender, it’s even wonderful soup!) These look great!
Hi Jeanie, our season for ripe tomatoes up at the cottage in Maine was towards the end of July but the wait was worth it. And yes, the sauce made from the last of the tomatoes was especially good.
I haven’t been successful at growing my own vegetables and have decided to give up. Even if I did get a few tomatoes or cucumbers, the critters would usually put one bite on it and toss it aside, it was very frustrating. You old potting shed looks amazing, right out of Martha Stewart magazine!
I know about the critters too Eva. One year a ground hog took a bite out of a tomato on each of our plants. I guess he was taste testing.
I love tomatoes too—and BLT’s are the best! 🙂
I’m happy to learn of your love of BLTs too Nancy.
Well, it’s just too darned hot here in Tucson to grow tomatoes, though I know some have had success. Also, the amount of water is great, and we are trying to conserve. Besides, I enjoy supporting our farmers by going to the market every Sunday! Like you, I love Purple Cherokee and Brandywine, and for sweetness you cannot beat Sungold! Another favorite I get at the market are a pink Beefsteak. They are so good. And my favorite tomato meals (thanks for all those links to your recipes!) are: a tomato and mayonnaise sandwich on homemade bread, and a Provençal tomato tart. Happy Tomato Season and Happy 4th!
Hi David, I haven’t had a pink beefsteak but I’ll be on the lookout. Yes to a Ptovencal tomato tart, they are delicious.
I can’ t remember where you live in Florida. We are way southwest in Naples. We can grow tomatoes in pots from November to April. But, they never can compare to tomatoes grown in the north. I miss my gardens in NC.
Hi Penny, we are across the state from you on the Treasure Coast in Vero Beach. It is just not worth the effort to try and grow tomatoes…I have a hard enough time keeping herbs alive. Nice to hear from you, did you give up blogging?
Yes, I gave up blogging about a year ago. I am on facebook and instagram. When Bloglovin is working – which it rarely is, I check blogs out, like yours. xo
We do have a vegetable garden, and my daughter enjoyed it a lot but not now as it is so wet and winter but during summer there were lots of tomatoes that it yeilds not sure of the variety though.
It is nice that you have a vegetable garden during your nice weather Raymund and that you get a good crop of tomatoes from it.
I used to grow cherry tomatoes in pots on my deck. We always loved growing and eating them. Last year they just didn’t produce, so this year I’m buying them in the market.
Hi Judee, some years can be very frustrating and make gardening a real chore. Thank goodness we have the option to buy tomatoes.
We’ve grown tomatoes every year that I can remember – well, except for last year. (We were moving to Asheville, so I didn’t bother planting a garden.) This year, I have several cherry tomato plants in pots on our back deck. They are coming along nicely. I wanted to plant some in the ground, but I wasn’t sure if the bears here in the mountains would find them appealing. Not sure I would appreciate going out to my garden to find that a bear had romped through it!
David, I only had to worry about chipmunk and ground hogs in New England…bears are another story entirely.
Way back when I was really into growing every tomato variety and also peppers. Starting from seed and having a garden shed allowed me to do this. Such fun – I canned a lot of them and also made tomato soup 🙂
Hi Judi, growing tomatoes from seed is the way to go when you have the room.
Oh I do grow tomatoes .. how wonderful are home grown! Such a great post .. 😊
Hi Julie, so nice to hear from you, thank you for your lovely compliment. Yes, I’ve always enjoyed seeing your wonderful garden.
I Didn’t grow anything this year. But I love eating fresh tomatoes straight off the vine. They are so good!!
Hi Thao, I have to agree with you that a ripe tomato picked from the vine has a great taste.