The word tomato evokes summer. We would all like to just take a salt shaker out to the garden, find one of those Big Boy tomatoes and take a bite!
But for those living near the coast, the large tomatoes just don’t grow as large as we would like. I often tell my students to look up to the sky at various times of the day in their garden, and realize that we do not have the eight hours of sunshine necessary for the large tomato varieties.
CHOOSE A TOMATO THAT WORKS FOR YOUR GARDEN
So, we have chosen to grow varieties that work in our area. We had good luck with Cherry Gold, San Marzano and Yellow Peach Cherry tomatoes, and we now have tomatoes falling off the vine.
Because they are all indeterminate varieties, these lovelies will continue for at least another month, and we have found a good way to make use of them.
A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
This recipe will work for any cherry or small tomato, such as San Marzano. There is no need to slice or skin the tomatoes, since they will fall apart in the cooking process.
I use a large Crock-Pot, since it doesn’t heat up the kitchen, but any heavy soup pot, such as Le Creuset, will work as well.
Garden Tomato Sauce
- Choose ripe (not green) cherry tomatoes to fill half the crock pot. Remove green bud, but do not peel.
- In a separate, small frying pan, sauté one chopped yellow onion, five slice garlic cloves, one zucchini and four chopped mini carrots.
- Add to Crock-Pot. Cover with chicken or vegetable broth. Add ½ cup red wine if desired.
- Rehydrate one dried ancho pepper, add the liquid and entire pepper.
- Process: Cook all ingredients on high in the pot for over an hour. Use a potato masher to press down the tomatoes into a sauce. Continue cooking for at least two hours on low.
- Get creative and add your favorite fresh veggies! Enjoy!
TASTY TOMATOES
This weekend, San Diego Seed Company is hosting its annual tomato tasting event at its farm in Ramona.
Attendees at this sold-out event will sample and taste over 20 varieties that have been grown at this 10-acre farm this summer, then vote for their favorites. Last year, Dwarf Snakebite, Rosella Purple and Bo Mango took the prizes.
Owner and founder Brijette Pena and her staff focus on providing the highest-quality organic, heirloom and rare seeds to small scale growers in the Southwest. They now offer over 300 seed varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers, which are available at the farm and at locations throughout the county and beyond.
For information on upcoming classes and events, check out the San Diego Seed Company website or Facebook page.
Jano Nightingale is a Master Gardener and teaches vegetable gardening at the Carlsbad Community Center. Contact her at [email protected] for upcoming classes.
