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Tomato-tastic!

Posted on August 13th, 2007 – 11:16 AM
By Jaime Chismar

Forget the peppers, cukes and greens. This weekend, my garden was all about the tomato… and basil.

tomatoes.jpg

I gotta admit, I’m a little disappointed in my crop Purple Calabash (left). Though they are tasty, they are not exactly purple are they?

By September, my yellow pear plant (right) will have eaten the house… Oh, speaking of yellow pears…. In the beginning of June, I had too many tomato seedlings and not enough garden. My boss’s wife, Helene promised to give an extra pear tomato plant a good home. With sprawling and fruitful branches, the monster bush now shames its garden neighbors. She’s been eating the little yellow light bubs for almost two weeks.

helene.jpg

Like a proud parent, I love getting updates from my (tomato) children. Thanks for the photo, Helene!

This entry was posted on Monday, August 13th, 2007 at 11:16 am and is filed under Tomatoes, Peppers + Eggplant. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

8 Responses to "Tomato-tastic!"

Brenda says:

August 13th, 2007 at 12:41 pm

My yellow pear tomato plants are taking over the garden also. They have long ago escaped the cages. Next year they will be trained up a string and pruned better. I love the flavor and abundance of this plant.

Jaime Chismar says:

August 13th, 2007 at 2:25 pm

Abundant — That is the perfect word for this variety. I’ve never had a tomato plant so vigorous!

jeff says:

August 13th, 2007 at 4:06 pm

Can someone describe the taste of those two kinds of tomatoes pictured? I’ve only had the pleasure of eating red varieties.

Peter Hoh says:

August 14th, 2007 at 6:12 pm

Jeff, you really have to taste them for yourself. In my experience, different tomato varieties still taste like tomatoes. Sweetness is one of the main variables, along with texture. Some are more juicy than others. Some are nice for slicing, while others work better in cooking.

This year, I got a surprise when the plant labeled “Jersey Devil” started producing “Green Zebras.”

Allie says:

August 15th, 2007 at 9:55 am

Earlier this week a co-worker of mine brought in some different home grown vegetables for people to have. I took the yellow pear tomatoes because I had never heard of them and was just wondering how to prepare/eat them. I gave some to my parents and my dad just ate it plain and really liked it, but I was wondering if there is any special way to prepare it to really get the most out of them.

Anne V says:

August 15th, 2007 at 12:32 pm

“Purple” tomatoes are rarely actually purple. Usually they are more brownish or pink in color with green shoulders. Worry not- they taste fantastic. Cherokee Purples are generally very sweet and tangy. Pruden’s Purples are more creamy yet juicy, very nice for slicing and eating raw.
Yellow pears are excellent sliced in half on salads. I’m not a big fan of other yellow tomatoes.

Matt says:

August 15th, 2007 at 12:45 pm

I am eating a Gold Medal (yellow and red stripes) for lunch and it has to be one of my favorite “slicers” with salt and pepper. My yellow Pear was taking over my peppers so I reluctantly lopped of a number of limbs to curtail his garden coup. My almost white Wapsiconian Peach was a real surprise. Almost like eating fruit it was so sweet. Good with a strong goat cheese to cut the sweet. If you are getting tired of Basil on your Bruschetta, try Thyme. It is a really nice alternative.

Keith says:

August 15th, 2007 at 10:07 pm

I grew yellow pears for two years. They’re
sweet and very mild and yes very prolific and hardy. I found they kept a coming even into October!

Frankly, if you’re after big tomato taste, grow something else. Aside from salads, they’re popular for preserves and relishes.

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