Tomatoes

[nikkie]

Anyone elses plants flowering?

Anchovy I am I need a bigger garden - only have a teeny one at the mo. Am beginning to think I need an allotment - or to move house.

How could I forget my 2 pots of flat-leaf parsley? and sundry othre herbs in the garden

need any herbs for your barrow Anchovy? I have an 8 ft tall bay tree ( and I cut about 4 ft off it last yr)

24 plants in my backyard, plus around 10 more in the allotment
must be hundreds of toms in various stages (5/6 different varieties!)

what are your plans for all these toms? i am of on hols on wed and my toms are finally going ripe

HEEEELLLLPPP!!!

Think I've over wtaered my toms.. or maybe DH didwhile I was away visiting family

Now they are just ready to ripen they are going bobbly and dark at the top then it spreads downwards.. must be afungus.. what should I do? Shall I pick al the green ones and put on the windowsill?

Will the other plants in my greenhouse be affected ( aubergines peppers, physalis, patty pan melon etc etc)

PLEASE HELP!!

Jan
xxx

Sounds like he watered the plants not the roots?
Not sure what to do ,sorry
Just to hijack a minute I'm growing physalis too, do you get a lot on each plant? I only have 4 or 5, is tthat normal?

just wondered if anyone else is finding their tomatoes are splitting before they are even ripe, some of mine are and its really annoying!! Just wondered what causes it really. Did manage to make a lovely fresh tomato pasta sauce with some the other day though.

coooeee BlueBeetle

tell all

Helloooo !!! I have arrived !!

Well - this is NOT the tomato thread I was on evidently !! I don't know which one it was !!

Anyway - I am here now !

I am BlueBeetle - I have grown 5 tomato plants, 1 cucumber plant and 1 pepper plant in a grow bag in my garden. I have never grown anything before - although maybe when I was a small child I might have !

All my tomato plants are different varieties amd I bought them all as small plants from the garden centre !

I wonder if anyone knows why tomato plants smell the way they do ?

hi BlueBeetle - hows the harvest so far?

Very good - although difficult to assess as dd just goes outside and eats them straight off the plant ! Must pick a load tonight as I spotted a lot of quite ripe ones this morning !

and shewhonverdusts - thet split when tehy have lots of water after being short of water. I have a few splitters too, despitre my best watering efforts

I harvested about 12 today

only 12, Iota...

We had ...ta da....our courgette for supper on Sunday. One courgette. (Well, obviously other things, but there was only one courgette on the plant). It was...um...courgette-y tasting, but I'm not sure I could say much more than that.

how many of you had to share the lone courgette Anchovy?

I grow tomatoes! And am feeling very smug as I ain't fed them nor nuffink and they're sprouting little toms like a good 'un (They rae those which grow in a pot; tumbling ones - might be called Gardener's delight)

Now, can I have a mention on the other thread as a tomato grower???

Well, 4 of us, but DS and DD apparently "don't like cooked courgette" so just me and DH. But my wordy it was a biggy - sort of like the one in DS's "Enormous Turnip" book. I think it was a sort of cuckoo courgette that took all the goodness meant for the others.

(PS we had sticky lamb chops and tomato rice as well as griddled courgette, so no one actually starved!)

Hi I'm new. Can I ask you all for a bit of advice? How do you get your toms to go red, mine are all stubbonly green and have been that way for ages? So glad I have found some fellow tomato growers.

They need sun! (If they are even remotely orange, pick them and pop them on a window sill - they'll turn red very quickly then)

That will probably be it then, there has been a distinct lack of sun here in Newcastle for a while now.

I am over run with toms atm , My mam is away so we have hers as well!
Usually it would be ok as I live of toms but I have been ill and can't eat many seems such a waste to sauce them

Help. I have just picked 22 kgs of tomatoes, mostly beefsteak and marmande. Got two lots roasting in oven, am having a tea break before I make a start on some ketchup and passata type sauce to freeze. I think this is what's known as a glut!!

This is quite simple to make, if you can be arsed sterilising jars. If not, one or 2 jars keep in the fridge very well for a month or so!

Tomato and chilli jam - ace with cold meats or with cheese in butties.

Ingredients
500g very ripe tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, peeled
4 red chillies
2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger root
30ml Fish Sauce
300g golden caster sugar
100ml red wine vinegar

Method

1. Dice half the quantity of tomatoes.
2. Blend the whole tomatoes in a food processor along with the garlic, chillies, ginger and fish sauce until the mixture reaches a pureé consistency.
3. Pour the mixture into a deep heavy-based pan together with the sugar and vinegar. Bring to the boil and slowly stir.
4. Once the mixture has reached boiling point, reduce to a simmer and add the remaining diced tomatoes.
5. Skim off any scum that forms with a metal spoon and cook for 30 -40 minutes, stirring from time to time to prevent sticking.
6. Pour the mixture into a warmed sterilised jar. Seal while still warm and label the jars when cold. Alternatively pour on a glass serving dish and allow to cool before serving.

That sounds delicious fullmoon. Will try with my 'kinhot chillis. Have made 14 jars of roast tomate pasta sauce, 6 bottles of ketchup (runny but really tasty) and I still have a few kgs picked plus quite a few still ripening on the plants.

Ooh have you got a recipe for the ketchup?

Tommy K a la Megalegs (actually it's from the river cottage cook book, don't tell hugh!)

3kg ripe toms
4 onions sliced
1 large red pepper, chopped
100g soft brown sugar
200ml cider vinegar
1/4 tsp mustard powder
a piece of cinnamon stick
1 1/2 tsp whole allspice
1 1/2 tsp whole cloves
1 1/2 tsp celery seeds
1 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove peeled and bruised
paprika to taste ( optional)
salt

Combine toms, onions and red pepper in a large, heavy pan over a med heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft
Push through a coarse meshed sieve and return to the pot with sugar, vinegar and mustard. Tie all the spices in a muslin with the garlic and drop into the stew. Bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer, stirring often, for 20-40 mins depending on how juicy your toms are. Cook until it's thick and pulpy. Taste whilst cooking and remove spice bag when it tastes right. Season to taste with salt and paprika. Pour ketchup through a funnel into sterilised bottles (heat in oven) and seal. Will keep for a month in fridge but longer if you sterilse the bottles and seal when still hot.

I got 3 bottles from this recipe and it was delicious.