Heirloom Tomato Garden
2007
In 2006 David began growing tomatoes. He began with four kinds.  The flavors were spectacular.  We found out the difference between today's tomatoes and heirlooms.  These are much more flavorful than "bought" tomatoes, but they do not keep well.  They need to be used within days of ripening.  The skins are very thin and delicate, so they don't need to be peeled.

These seeds were bought from Tomato Growers Supply Company, Post Office Box 60015, Fort Myers, Florida 33906
The seed info and pics are from their catalog.  You can find their catalog on the web at:  http://www.tomatogrowers.com.  We are very pleased with their seeds and their service.

Four of them are growing from seeds we grew last year.  The tomatoes were so delicious, that he is expanding the collection this year with 7 more kinds.  

We have started the seeds indoors .  It's not a very fancy setup, but many of the seeds sprouted this week (March 17, 2007).



We picked the first ones today, August 12.
Howard German #5029 (30 seeds) $2.30  Howard's German Tomato is a paste tomato, picked here on August 12, 2007.
Large harvests of 5-1/2 inch long, pointed paste tomatoes that weigh about 5 ozs. and are very meaty with a good, rich flavor. The shape is somewhat variable - most appear like a plump banana pepper, although some may look more like an elongated pear. This is an old variety, extremely productive, and great for canning, paste, or sauces. Indeterminate. 80 days.


San Marzano Redorta #5808 (30 seeds) $2.35  
Huge plum tomato is an heirloom variety from Tuscany, and named for a mountain in Bergamo. Used for cooking, but flavorful enough to eat fresh

Today, August 12, was the first for Dr. Wyche's Yellow

Dr. Wyche's Yellow #5744 (30 seeds) $2.30  Dr. Wyche's Yellow Heirloom Tomato is really a lovely orange.
This is undoubtedly one of the best tasting yellow tomatoes to be found, combining luscious sweetness with plenty of tangy tomato flavor. Golden-yellow fruit is beautiful, unblemished and smooth, and varies from 10 ozs. to 1 lb. The shape is that of a typical beefsteak with very meaty interiors. Huge, vigorous plants produce well, but it is the rich, excellent flavor and large fruit size that really set this one apart. Indeterminate. 80 days.

On August 12, the first White Beauty was picked.  It's a lovely yellow color.
White Beauty #5190 (30 seeds) $2.20  White Beauty Heirloom Tomato - a lovely yellow
Creamy white color inside and outside make White Beauty a rarity. Extremely mild and sweet because of a high sugar content. Fruits average 8 ounces and are quite meaty with few seeds. Indeterminate. 85 days.

Dorothy's Green really is green!! (August 12, 2007).
Dorothy's Green #5400 (30 seeds) $2.30  Dorothy's Green Heirloom Tomato is really green!
Sliced Dorothy's Green, Heirloom Tomato. Firm, juicy, slightly sweet. Large, smoothly shaped tomatoes are chartreuse green when fully ripe. Vigorous plants set loads of mostly 1/2 lb. fruit. The excellent flavor is a combination of sweetness and tartness with spicy overtones that tomato connoisseurs have come to praise. Heirloom variety. Indeterminate. 80 days.


  We had to pick this because, after almost two inches of rain, it split!  (August 12, 2007)
Black From Tula #6325 (30 seeds) $2.25  Black from Tula Heirloom Tomato is muddy gray in places.Sliced Black From Tula, Russian Heriloom Tomato
Deep reddish-brown beefsteak tomato has a rich, sweet flavor that is delicious. Fruit is smooth in texture and weighs from 8 to 12 ozs. This outstanding variety is very productive and seems to set well even when weather turns hot. Russian heirloom. Indeterminate. 75-80 days.

We picked the first Queen today, August 3.   It is quite sour, which we like.  The texture is the right amount of firm and slippery.    Golden Queen tomato, sliced, picked August 3, 2007
Golden Queen, USDA Strain #5614 (30 seeds) $2.30  
Distinctly different from other Golden Queens commonly sold, this is from a strain obtained from the USDA seed bank, and is the original Golden Queen described by the seedsman Livingston in 1882. Tomatoes are 8 to 12 ozs. and yellow with a pronounced pink blush on the blossom end extending up towards the stem end. What makes this one better than the common solid yellow Golden Queen is its superior flavor. It is delicious, with a full tomato taste that is also sweet and most pleasant. Indeterminate. 75 days.


 The first one was picked July 27.  It weighed 13.5 ounces.  It was delicious!!  Very tart and juicy.
2007 First tomato picked - Crnkovic Yugoslavian - July 27...Crnkovic Yugoslavian tomato sliced. Picked July 27. 2007
Crnkovic Yugoslavian #5592 (30 seeds) $2.15  
Superb, sweet flavor in 1 lb. pink beefsteaks that are capable of becoming huge. This is a prolific bearer with outstandingly good taste. Indeterminate. 80 to 85 days.
This was picked July 29.  It is HUGE, weighing 1 pound 12+ ounces.  (818 grams).  It is not as sweet as Marianna's Peace.  At 7 inches in diameter, one slice covered the bottom of a dinner plate.
Gregori's Altai #5582 (30 seeds) $2.35  Gregori's Altai tomato picked July 29, 2007
Siberian variety that originated in the Altai Mountains on the Chinese border. Tall plants are heavy producers of 8 to 12 oz. pink-red beefsteak tomatoes. The flavor is sweet yet acid and just delicious, with harvests continuing over an incredibly long season. Indeterminate. 67 days.


Thessaloniki #5857 (30 seeds) $2.25  Thessaloniki Heirloom Tomato. This small tomato ripened August 12, 2007
Greek variety with beautifully smooth, 6 to 8 ounce red fruits. Tomatoes are juicy with an excellent old-fashioned acid tomato flavor. Good yields and crack resistance add to the appeal of this delicious variety. Indeterminate. 75 to 80 days.

  This was picked July 28.  It weighed 13 1/4 ounces.  Slightly sweet.
Marianna's Peace #3722 (30 seeds) $2.55  Marianna's Peace tomato picked July 28, 2007
This large, potato-leaved dark pink tomato is fast becoming a favorite of gardeners across the country. The large, 1 to 2 pound pink-red beefsteak fruits have luscious, full tomato flavor that features a good balance of acidity and sweetness. Vigorous vines are very productive, which is special for a potato-leaved plant. Indeterminate. 80 days.
We were able to find this plant at Frog Pond.  It and Mortgage Lifter are two depression era tomatoes that are supposed to have lots of consistent tomatoes per plant.  We have one plant and picked the first on on August 3, 2007Boxcar Willie tomato sliced. August 3, 2007It is delicious.  Not too acid and nice texture.
Boxcar Willie
80 days. Lycopersicon esculentum. Plant produces heavy yields of 10 oz red tomatoes. Tomatoes have the old fashioned tomato flavor and turn to red when mature. Thought to have been named after the legendary country singer. A heirloom variety from the USA. Crack Resistant. Disease Resistant. Indeterminate. pk/20

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Created March 17, 2007
Pictures added July 28
and August 13

This has been a spring and summer of getting around. 2005

You can see those pictures:
We're off to Maine for a week of pictures and lobster!  Day 5
The New York State Fair - lots of chickens and other animals.
A search for Rexford Falls and finding the Sherburne Historic District.
Antique Firetrucks in Liverpool.
Balloons at the Spiedie Fest.
A trip to Utica to see Munson-Williams-Proctor Museum and Fountain Elms
We rented a canoe at Nathaniel Cole Park.
A visit to Hanford Mills and the Lumberjack Show
Hancock Shaker Village.
A trip to Pixley Falls and Delta Lake.
We watched them set up the Big Top at the Circus
We went to the Utica Zoo
Then we went to the Syracuse Zoo
Wickwire House in Cortland
A trip to babysit the grandkids
A visit to Boston to see a Red Sox Game
Drive through Edmeston area to see the animals
Ithaca Herbert F. Johnson museum trip
Skaneateles
And there are lots of pictures of our trip out west.


Hot adventures
from other summers:

 Chittenango Falls
Fort Stanwix
Carousels   		2007
Our trip to Baltimore and Washington.
Baltimore people watching
Baltimore Architecture
Baltimore Orioles game
we're off to Washington, DC
Washington flowers are here
American Indian museum
Fireworks on the Fourth of  July


Garden - heirloom tomatoes
     Garden in June
We made Dill Pickles
And we picked blueberries and made blueberry buckle and cobbler.


B-Mets game
A strange vine appeared
    It's carrion flower - or Jacob's ladder.
We went to Meredith Dairy Days
Downy Woodpecker feeds its baby.


2006
 travel to Texas
Texas Day 1 San Antonio to Pearsall
Texas Day 2 Pearsall to Laredo
Texas Day 3 Laredo to Brownsville
Texas Day 4 South Padre Island
Texas Signs amused us
More signs.

Art Museum at Vassar


Mid Atlantic:  Longwood Gardens
Assateague
 Longwood Fountains
Longwood Flowers
Winterthur
Winterthur Silver
Winterthur Children's Park


Old Stone Fort, Schoharie, NY
Cherry Valley, New York
CMOG  Corning Museum of Glass -


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