I think I've mentioned in passing that I started getting some ripe tomatoes the second week of August. They just came on a few at a time for awhile, but last week (which coincided with our first "real" summer warm weather) I harvested quite a few.
I think I'll be able to make a batch of Roasted Tomato-Vegetable Sauce for the freezer this week- yeah!
I thought it would be fun to talk about which ripened earliest for me here in the Pacific Northwest and to find out which varieties ripened earliest for you.
Here are some of my "earlies:"
The first tomato that ripened for me is on the right: an "ultra-early" tomato (so dubbed by Territorial Seed Co.) called 'Glacier'. I grow it just for the early tomatoes- they only produce about 20 smallish tomatoes (the size of a tennis ball on down to ping-pong ball size) before quitting- but they ripened at the same time as the 'Black Cherry' tomatoes and well before the grape and regular cherry tomatoes.
By the way, I didn't include the grape and cherry tomatoes in the picture- they are by nature early, and I'm interested in the slicing (and paste) tomatoes that ripen first. Though the Black Cherry tomatoes were the earliest and biggest of the cherries, and were great tasting with a fun color. Thanks, Shannan!
The middle tomato is an 'Early Girl', and it ripened a few days after 'Glacier.' I've grown many different types of tomatoes over the years and I've found that Early Girls consistently give me some of my first tomatoes of good size (baseball to softball-sized), and continue to produce beautiful fruit until frost without succumbing to the wilt that gets so many tomatoes in our damp climate. If not for these and the paste tomatoes, there would have been years I wouldn't have been able to can and freeze very many tomato products.
So even with the current heirloom craze, I will never have a tomato garden without at least one plant of Early Girl hybrids as a insurance policy of sorts. *smile*
The 'Viva Italian' paste tomatoes in the front were the third tomatoes to ripen- and I was surprised that they beat the 'Roma' tomatoes I've planted for many years. In fact, I stopped growing the Viva's in favor of the Romas a few years ago. The only reason I have a plant this year is because that was all I could find at the nursery to replace the slug eaten seedlings I lost. Guess I'll have to grow a couple of each, now.
And the large yellow tomato on the left was the surprise for me. Its a 'Pineapple' heirloom that I'm growing for the first time and it took fifth place in the tomato contest.
Umm...fifth? What happened to fourth?
Funny you should ask...forth place went to 'Cherokee Purple' which is my favorite heirloom, so I ate it! Sorry...well, not really. *blush*
Back to the 'Pineapple' - it was a surprise because it's so large (larger than the Cherokee Purple) and yet ripened only a few days later. I haven't tried it yet (see- I have some restraint), but if we like the flavor, this is a keeper. I love finding heirlooms that ripen early.
What tomatoes ripened for you earliest? Which will you always grow?
My tomatoes are winding down. I have a lot of green ones left, but it is actually starting to get chilly at night, so I'm hoping they turn red for me. I have already made 2 batches of your roasted veg sauce.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link up.
A round up of successes and failures. Thanks for hosting.
ReplyDeleteLove that you took the time to note what ripened when. =)
ReplyDeleteI had horrible luck with my tomatoes this year. I will probably grow them in containers next year to let my soil refresh itself. Yours look so yummy. I am jealous! I am to to blogging so I am so happy I get to share a post at your weekly party! Stop by for visit sometime and let me know what you think of my blog!
ReplyDeleteI love to grow tomatoes, using heirloom seeds, but I don't like tomatoes to eat, except in sauce and sometimes sliced on a hamburger!
ReplyDeleteThis year, I have several heirloom varieties ~ but because we have had such a very late summer (not many sunny days until this last week!)I have not harvested one ripe tomato! Lots of green ones, so there is still hope if we get more sun. We'll see!
Ripening almost in a dead heat with each other this year were 'Gardeners Delight' cherry tomato, which does not split like the 'Super Sweet 100s' that I used to grow, and a heirloom called 'Costoluto Genovese'. I also grew 'Cherokee Purple' and 'Super San Marzano', but am still waiting for ripe ones. I only got my first ripe tomatoes here this last week, and I've been growing all my tomato plants in the ground and under plastic, so it was basically not a great tomato year due to cold nighttime temperatures, at least here in Camas, WA. Completely different story on the Eastern side of the state, however. I've lots of green tomatoes, so I often bring them inside to ripen when the weather gets too cold for the plants.
ReplyDeleteI have a longer growing season so ripening tomatoes hasn't been an issue for me. I've also been able to get away with planting my tomato plants about 2 to 3 weeks earlier than everyone else, though Mother Nature will probably catch up with me one of these years!
ReplyDeleteI love the look of the Pineapple one. Is it sweeter like the yellow tomatoes?
I'm in the SF Bay Area so we are still going strong - except for an heirloom that got all wilty and bit the dust.
ReplyDeleteStupice ripened first, then Early Girl and Sungold. Betty is a big ole betty of a slicer. Last to ripen but worth the wait.
No comment on the tomato harvest in my yard. Bitter? Who me? Seriously, the only thing we've eaten is cherry tomatoes, and when I say we, I mean the kids. There's only been enough for them to pop one or two a day. Sad, sad story in the tomato department this year.
ReplyDeleteMy tomatoes are just about done except for cherry and grape tomatoes. I have lots of those little guys and it's a challenge finding things to do with them. Next year, i'm not planting as many of these varieties.
ReplyDeleteOur tomatoes are done for the season. We had alot of celebrity tomatoes in June. They were our biggest producers by far.
ReplyDeleteBarb- We just ate the Pineapple Tomato tonight and I can tell you while it is delicious, it's not sweet. It is meaty with not as many seeds and mild, but still tastes like a regular tomato. But the color was spectacular- pinkish-red bursting inside the yellow. Wow. I'm waiting for another one to ripen so I can serve them on a plate for guests!
ReplyDeleteOtt, A- I hear you with the cherrys/grapes- I always have more than we eat fresh of those. The Roasted Tomato Sauce I make works well with them-just throw them in a pan with the other veggies/spices and oil, roast them and puree it all. We don't even notice the skins and it's yummy!
SchneiderPeeps- Hard to believe you're all done with tomatoes- Sept. and Oct. are big tomato months here! Are you in the south?