any heirloom tomato experts out there?

[Antithesis]

Yes, because I have too many. Do you like spaghetti squash as well?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Antithesis

Yes, because I have too many. Do you like spaghetti squash as well?

I don't know if I have a clue in what to do with Spaghetti Squash...I suppose if you can add it to pasta sauce or something that would be good. If you are serious and coming to the hockey pool this weekend though, that would be awesome!

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Slava

Bump....I know this guy who had the best intentions of harvesting all of his tomatoes before last night but got too busy and I see we got frost. Am I screwed or will the tomatoes still be OK?

Sorry, I was away all day so just seeing your question now. If your tomato plants were quite bushy, you will be able to salvage quite a few. Now I don't know what location you are or how exposed your tomato plants were to the elements though.

The tomatoes exposed on the outside of the plant, in other words, the tomatoes you can see sticking out, are probably toast. You can tell a tomato that has been touched by frost, it will be darker green there and a bit soft. Those will not ripen properly, they will go bad.

But your tomatoes more towards the inside of the plant probably received enough protection unless you had a very severe frost. If they don't seem to have dark green blushes, pick them, bring them inside and see what happens in a day or two. It won't take long to see if they were frozen and going bad.

Assuming you can salvage some, here is the best way to get them to ripen inside.

Get large cardboard boxes, not too high. Put down a layer of newspaper, then a layer of tomatoes, another layer of newspaper, and another layer of tomatoe and a further layer of newspaper on top. I usually just do 2 layers of tomatoes. Anymore and I find there is too much moisture from the tomatoes and that can cause mold. Close the box, put in a dark warm closet and check them periodically. Those that ripen, remove and use.

Nights are going to be pretty frosty from here on in, so I would suggest picking the balance, letting them ripen and then using them.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Antithesis

Yes, because I have too many. Do you like spaghetti squash as well?

I don't know how many you have but spaghetti squash is a winter squash, not a summer squash. In other words, it gets a tough skin and will last quite a long time during the winter months.

Do you have a cooler closet or some area or corner in your basement? Don't put the squash directly on the cement floor. Put down a layer or two of old bathroom towels or old blankets, put down your squash, throw a sheet or something over and they should last 4 to 6 months.

You could also donate them to the Food Bank.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Slava

I don't know if I have a clue in what to do with Spaghetti Squash...I suppose if you can add it to pasta sauce or something that would be good. If you are serious and coming to the hockey pool this weekend though, that would be awesome!

You can use it instead of a pasta. The squash should be cooked whole if using for hat purpose and don't over cook. When cooked, cut in half and remove any seeds, take a fork and remove, it should come out like strands of spagetti.

I like to cut in half and bake, upside down on the baking sheet. When done al dente, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, rub on a bit of butter, it will melt down, and sprinkle with some brown sugar. Put in the oven and bake or broil until brown sugar sort of bubbles up.

[Shazam]

It didn't frost where I am last night (NW Calgary), for what it's worth.

[Jordan!]

Who knew there were so many grannies on this site

[Shazam]

You haven't tasted real food until you've grown your own.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Shazam

You haven't tasted real food until you've grown your own.

Plus it reminds me of being a little kid when we had a garden and got all of the fresh food at this time of year. Its worth the work!

[Slava]

Originally Posted by redforever

Sorry, I was away all day so just seeing your question now. If your tomato plants were quite bushy, you will be able to salvage quite a few. Now I don't know what location you are or how exposed your tomato plants were to the elements though.

The tomatoes exposed on the outside of the plant, in other words, the tomatoes you can see sticking out, are probably toast. You can tell a tomato that has been touched by frost, it will be darker green there and a bit soft. Those will not ripen properly, they will go bad.

But your tomatoes more towards the inside of the plant probably received enough protection unless you had a very severe frost. If they don't seem to have dark green blushes, pick them, bring them inside and see what happens in a day or two. It won't take long to see if they were frozen and going bad.

Assuming you can salvage some, here is the best way to get them to ripen inside.

Get large cardboard boxes, not too high. Put down a layer of newspaper, then a layer of tomatoes, another layer of newspaper, and another layer of tomatoe and a further layer of newspaper on top. I usually just do 2 layers of tomatoes. Anymore and I find there is too much moisture from the tomatoes and that can cause mold. Close the box, put in a dark warm closet and check them periodically. Those that ripen, remove and use.

Nights are going to be pretty frosty from here on in, so I would suggest picking the balance, letting them ripen and then using them.

Thanks for the help! I picked all of them yesterday, including my banana peppers (definitely ruined, btw). I think that some of them will be OK, but I would say I lost about 1/2. I picked about 70 tomatoes though...so will still have lots as it turns out!

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Slava

Plus it reminds me of being a little kid when we had a garden and got all of the fresh food at this time of year. Its worth the work!

Damn straight it is.

One year, I made a huge batch of salsa with my tomatoes (picco de gallo style) for a get together. One guy ate the almost the whole entire thing. Said it was the best salsa he ever had in his life.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Slava

Thanks for the help! I picked all of them yesterday, including my banana peppers (definitely ruined, btw). I think that some of them will be OK, but I would say I lost about 1/2. I picked about 70 tomatoes though...so will still have lots as it turns out!

Do you still have the banana peppers? If so, dice them up and freeze them and then add them to recipes as you cook.

And I should have mentioned, the tomatoes with some frozen parts, can be used to make relish, chutney etc, but would have to be done right away before spoiling sets in.

If you do canning or pickling at all or wish to try, I could give you my Mom's recipe for relish using green tomatoes instead of cucumbers, better by a long shot than any relish you can buy on the store shelves. You could also make a green tomato chow-chow or a green tomato and jalapeno chutney (you could substitute your banana peppers, if the hot variety) and why not make some fried green tomatoes?

[moncton golden flames]

i just ordered some seeds to start my organic heirloom collection.

cherry tomatoes; black cherry, lollipop, gardener's delight & ceylon.

reds; marianna's peace, mortgage lifter & chocolate stripes.

blacks; cherokee purple, tim's black ruffles, purple calabash & black krim.

orange; amana.

yellow; gold medal.

green; green pineapple.

14 different varieties that i can't wait to grow!

i'm starting a 'seed bank', with assorted heirloom and heritage vegetable seeds. if anybody has some favourites and places to get them, i'd appreciate some advice.

[Shazam]

http://www.members.shaw.ca/jwlcasey/...toes/Home.html

Hold on, your head will explode!

[Jedi Ninja]

No tomatoes for me next year. Other than having most of the crop freeze even though it was covered, there has been a huge explosion in the vole / mouse property in my yard. Sweet Jesus, I can't believe how much rat poison the suckers have already eaten. (As you can see, I've given up on humane means of control.)

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by Shazam

http://www.members.shaw.ca/jwlcasey/...toes/Home.html

Hold on, your head will explode!

wow, that's great to see a local producer, selling seeds like that. i wish i had of known about them before last night. i bought mine from these guys. www.tomatofest.com, they have over 600 varieties of tomatoes.