We’ve been filling five-gallon buckets full of tomatoes every couple of days for more than a week now. And canning, and canning… I’ve put up tomato sauce, pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, and salsa. And no end in sight. What a wonderful thing, indeed! Of course, we’ve been eating plenty of tomatoes, too. Our overall champs this year are our Grandma’s Pick Italian Tree tomatoes. These tomatoes are huge and taste great! Last night we had bacon and tomato sandwiches with one of them and one slice hung over the bread by at least an inch on all sides! We’ve tried about every tomato out there, including Brandywine, but these have ’em all beat for flavor.

And nothing says harvest time more than a thick slice of juicy tomato on a slice of whole wheat bread, home raised-bacon, and a bit of mayonnaise. Homesteaders live such a tough life!

14 COMMENTS

  1. Bonnie,

    We planted 47 tomatoes this year and had a few volunteers, too. Mostly Will’s favorite, Punta Banda. We had plenty to can up, eat fresh and give to friends who’s gardens didn’t fare so well this year due to drought and hail storms.

    Jackie

  2. John,

    I’ll bet your drought caused the rest of your problems. Here’s hoping for a bumper crop for you next year!

    Jackie

  3. Zelda,

    No, I didn’t prune them. We started them indoors and transplanted them out in May, at our seminar, placing Wall’O Waters around them. When I took the Walls off, I staked and caged them in a five foot, plus, cage. We had several ripe ones, then picked all and brought them indoors yesterday because of an impending freeze which happened. Booo. They do well for us here with only a 90 day growing season but we DO have very long summer daylight hours.

    Jackie

  4. Cindy and Kathy V,

    These seeds are quite common. This variety is called Tree Tomato by some companies and Climbing Triple Crop by others. They’ll grow nearly everywhere. You can get seeds from Tomato Grower’s Supply Co. or Sustainable Seed Company and many other seed companies.

    Jackie

  5. How many tomatoe plants did you plant this year? I am interested in the quantity of everything you planted in your garden as I strive to sustainability. I think you are awesome!

  6. I’m jealous. This is the worst year for tomatoes for me, I must have replanted them a dozen times, but they all died. I’ve never not been able to grow tomatoes, usually they grow so fast they try to bury me!

  7. I second Cindy’s question. Where do we get the seeds for these beautiful tomatoes?

    I live in the southern half of the USA. Think they will grow down here?

  8. It definitely must be there year for tomatoes! My are finally slowing down, but most days I was picking 10-15lbs. Also, like you, I have put up pasta sauce, chili, salsa, pizza sauce, whole tomatoes (2 batches), going on 2 batches of just tomato sauce, and still at to my hearts content, and gave plenty away to some of the neighbors. I am still thinking about another batch of chili… just have to wait and see. Life is good in tomato land! Now if only my peppers would get moving! :-)

  9. Congrats on the beautiful tomatoes!

    We have had just the opposite luck with our tomatoes. In fact, it has been the worst year in the garden since we started gardening 35 years ago. Between something in the soil (virus/fungus/whatever) slowly killing our tomatoes, cukes, summer and winter squash and brambles, a near total lack of honey bees, topped off by a bad drought it has been a terrible year for us.

    It is nice to know not everyone had a bad year.

  10. You are right about the “tough life” of homesteaders! My husband and and I (in our 50’s) are in the beginning stages of our homesteading life and are enjoying every minute of the labor that goes into eating the eggs from our chickens, savoring our own bee’s raised honey, adlmiring our freshly harvested herbs and pumpkins and looking forward to eating our own veggies and more in the near future, not to mention living in an old farmhouse we have personally renovated board by board. Yeah, it’s a tough life, and we wouldn’t trade it for anything!

  11. Those are beautiful!
    That sandwich made my mouth just water.

    Mine have finally started producing. I had to cover them tonight because of a frost warning.

    I grew Hopi Pale Grey this year at your recommendation and constant bragging about them. I hope to love them. I do have a question, what should the skin look like when it’s ready to pick?
    How do you cook them?

  12. My wistful envy level is at an all time high. It is beautiful!! Haven’t seen a tomato like that in almost 10 years but with more tunnels, there’s hope. That tomato can get to 15 ft tall and it is often grown on a very sturdy trellis to support the height and weight. Did you prune them? Are they in one of your tunnels or in the open?

  13. Could you show some more photos of how you grow your tomatoes? I know about the wall o waters, but how else do you extend your season?

    Thank you

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