There’s a reason why tomatoes are found in 85% of all gardens, topping the list of most popular homegrown produce: Biting into the fresh and juicy sweetness of a vine-ripened homegrown tomato is pure nirvana for the senses — a savory treat unmatched by anything else. With that in mind, it’s incredible that so many people continue to buy their tomatoes from a supermarket. After all, they’re not only ridiculously expensive, but also rather tasteless when compared to their homegrown cousins.
The bottom line: John Denver was right. There really are only two things money can’t buy: true love and homegrown tomatoes.
Photo Credit: Ajith_chatie
Bread, mayo,S&P and tomato, a true slice of heaven on earth! Amen brother!
love the song, and it’s written by my favorite songwriter, Guy Clark. He looks like and owl and sings like one too.
I’m growing two different kinds of tomatoes right now. One is an orange cherry tomato which never makes it into the house since we eat them like candy and the other is an heirloom tomato that is half purple and half green when ripe. Not lying but I think my neighbor keeps stealing those off the vine. I’ve gotten 3 tomatoes that make it into my house so far and I swear that there were a ton more, but as soon as they get close to ripeness they disappear off the vine. I did catch her looking over my fence 2 weeks ago, but I can’t say it’s her for sure.
Time to set up a surveillance camera, Sandy! I eat cherry tomatoes like they’re candy, by the way. Delicious!
I love fresh tomatoes from the garden, but Len, there is something that beats it….and that’s my watermelon!
Of course, my garden only produces one watermelon per year and about 200 tomatoes. But all that means is that its a precious commodity!
Watching that watermelon grow is likely watching your child develop into an adult….and the day I finally get to eat it is like college graduation….that is if you were the kinda person that would eat their child at college graduation.
I can imagine! I bet it tastes absolutely delicious too, Geoff. How do you keep the critters from getting to it?
Agree with Sandy – yellow or orange cherry tomatoes are sweet like candy… good thing they are prolific, even through summmer’s heat.
Here in Southeastern WV there are still old-time traditional tomato plants sold, their reproduction husbanded for generations by local farming families. The so-called “heritage” tomato varieties offered by the big-time seed companies don’t compare.
Mr. Dave, have you ever seen the heirloom variety Mortgage Lifter? Some people call it “Paying the mortgage off.” I saw them growing at Bacon’s Castle in Virginia. You have to stake them with lumber. No cages or mop handles will hold them up. The tomatoes were bigger than grapefruits.
Here, the heirloom variety to grow is Gulf Coast. It was developed to thrive in the Gulf of Mexico coastal climate. haha
I wonder how many people grew up throwing great horned tomato worms on the ground, and stomping them. It’s what I did for many years. It looked like mashed avocados.
Those tomato worms are amazing. It’s like they come out of absolutely nowhere! If you are not vigilant in looking for them, they can destroy an entire plant in 24 hours.
Hope you’re feeling better, Len! We call those store-bought things “FAUXmatoes”; they look like the real thing but no flavor at all! Our home-growns are just coming in this week, and finger’s crossed we’ll be picking & eating them from now until early October.
You can’t beat home grown for taste and price. With some recycled translucent or clear plastic sheeting and a few wood stakes made from scrap lumber you can build a mini greenhouse and start a half dozen plants a month earlier in the garden here in NJ. This extends your fresh tomato season by a month.
If you plant indeterminate tomatoes which keep growing and bearing fruit, and drag out the same plastic to cover these plants at night if a frost threatens, you can extend the tomato season from the other end. When killing frost is predicted you harvest all the green tomatoes. Put the larger ones on the kitchen counter to ripen and pickle the smaller ones or make into relish.