# If you like tomatoes, look at this.



## smokyokie (Jul 30, 2007)

A fresh heirloom tomato is a work of art to me.  We've been picking, slicing, and eating a lot lately, so I took some pix to share with all you other tomato lovers.  (I know you're out there).












Hope you enjoy.

Tim


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## monty (Jul 30, 2007)

Gorgeous!

Thank you!

Cheers!


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## pigcicles (Jul 30, 2007)

Beautiful tomatoes. Big tomatoes, small tomatoes. Tomatoes of various sizes, shapes, and colors. Then you go and throw in the tools of mass destruction. Thanks for sharing Smoky

Keep Smokin


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## twistertail (Jul 30, 2007)

Nice looking maters.  Half of my crop got destroyed by tomatoe worms.  They were doing great and I didnt water them for 2 days because we got rain, well in 2 days time 2 of my 8 plants were completely destroyed and 2 more were chewed up pretty bad.  Those are the ugliest nastiest looking worms I have ever seen.  They are eating machines.  I gave them a nice bath in liquid 7!!


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## gypsyseagod (Jul 30, 2007)

good lookin' maters. cats & pouring rain killed all  mine but the peppers made it & starting to sprout baby jals. bet those would make good salsa.


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## hawgheaven (Jul 30, 2007)

You have a nice set of tomatoes there Tim...!


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## keywesmoke (Jul 30, 2007)

who's got salt and mayo? That's all I need for those bad boys.


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## smokyokie (Jul 30, 2007)

How dare you suggest adulterating the precious tomato flavor with mayo.  You sir, are a cad.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	













Tim


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## hawgheaven (Jul 30, 2007)

Yes, hold the mayo!

Salt and pepper. Cold adult beverage in one hand. Fork in the other. In the background: Smoker crusing at 225, emitting a thin smoke of blue. 

Life is good.


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## bigarm's smokin (Jul 30, 2007)

*Gee Oky, sorry your garden went to hell like that and didn't produce much!! I am, just now, eating my first cherry tomatoe and am happy to have it. In a few weeks the green tomatoes will be big enough and I can make some of my great granmaw's green tomatoe pie. Can't wait. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Terry*


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## keywesmoke (Jul 30, 2007)

Sorry, white boy from a big city. We like mayo on everything.......even french (sorry freedom) fries!


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## hawgheaven (Jul 30, 2007)

Nuthin' personal, just a preference...


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## vulcan75001 (Jul 30, 2007)

Tim...
Great looking tomatoes there.. also that salad with the (what looks like) cheese bread sure looks refreshing...care to share ???


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## smokyokie (Jul 31, 2007)

Terry, it's not nice to talk about things like that without sharing the recipe.
Tim


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## smokyokie (Jul 31, 2007)

Do I get rep power if I do?
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	













  Where are my manners.

It was a salad idead that I came up with while making dinner one night, so there's no recipe really, but I'll try.

3/4# Italian sausage
1 big head romaine 
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts
12 large greek olives-pitted and sliced
1# cherry or grape tomatoes
1/4C fresh oregano-leaves only
3 cloves fresh garlic-slivered
4oz feta cheese
1/2 large red onion-xtra thin sliced,rings cut in half
1/2C chopped pepponcini-juice reserved
1/4c EVOO
balsamic vinegar and sugar to taste

Break up romaine and toss with feta and onions.


Remove sausage from casing, brown in large skillet, remove and drain reserving grease in skillet.

add oilve oil and sweat garlic10 min..  add pepperoncini, juice included, olives, artichokes-juice included- and simmer 5 min..  When heated through, return sausage to pan and heat through.  Add tomatoes and oregano, cook only long enough to warm, not cook tomatoes.  add sugar/ balsamic to adjust sweetness (actually, probably ought to do this before adding tomatoes)

Pour hot over romaine and toss.  Add some good croutons and serve with cheesy garlic bread.



Cheesy garlic bread

Coat a split french roll w/ your favorite cheese, lay on a few thin slices of fresh garlic and bake -top [email protected] 425* till it looks good.

I think that's close.  It was good enough to build a real recipe for.  Next time I make it, I'll see if I can get some accurate measurements.

Tim


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## dacdots (Jul 31, 2007)

The one whom has not ate a tomato samage with Mirical Whip and covered in fresh ground black pepper has not yet lived.


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## peculiarmike (Jul 31, 2007)

I've got grape tomatos, and LOTS of them! Had some volunteers come up from last year in a flower bed. Those, plus what we planted this year, are making some serious grape tomatos. Super sweet delicious flavor. 
Neighbors are benefiting.
Strange warm spring, late freeze, and really wet weather pretty much kept the regular plants from producing anything of size.
Raspberrys are not making either, blackberrys are about half normal numbers. Blueberrys are going great.
And the Zucchini..........................................  ..


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## vulcan75001 (Jul 31, 2007)

Thanks Tim...


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## vulcan75001 (Jul 31, 2007)

Oh..Yeah...Gots to have the Miracle Whip....


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## smokin for life (Jul 31, 2007)

The only way to eat a mater is just bite into it and suck.  MMMMMmmmmm good.


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## squeezy (Jul 31, 2007)

No Miracle Whip here ... grew out of that a long time ago ... mayo is the way to go, not the only way mind you but good! Just a little salt with lots of fresh ground medley pepper!


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## smokyokie (Aug 1, 2007)

Add Bacon, an over easy Egg,and Lettuce to the Tomato and you have a BELT sammich. MMMMMMMMMMMMMy fave.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





SqueezyNo Miracle Whip here ... grew out of that a long time ago ... mayo is the way to go, not the only way mind you but good! Just a little salt with lots of fresh ground medley pepper!

I'm bi. I go both ways.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	













PeculiarmikeI've got grape tomatos, and LOTS of them! Had some volunteers come up from last year in a flower bed. Those, plus what we planted this year, are making some serious grape tomatos. Super sweet delicious flavor


I'm going to need some of those seeds if I may. We planted a grape tom. plant this year, but they taste like grocery store tommies.

Tim


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## brennan (Aug 1, 2007)

I'd love me some o them in a capresi(sp?) salad. slice up the maters, add EVOO balsamic vinegar and oregano to taste and devour.


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## smokyokie (Aug 1, 2007)

Our variation is to marinate thin sliced onion (a bunch of it) in balsamic vinaigrette for an hour or two, drain the onion, lay a fair amount of fresh basil chiffonade over the maters, then some onion, then the marinade from the onion, then curl some parmaggiano reggiano over all w/ a veggie peeler.

I guess I just have a way of complicating things.

Tim


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## dirty ole phil (Aug 1, 2007)

Please tell me what is Liquid 711  ???


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## dirty ole phil (Aug 1, 2007)

This may not come out right but what is Liquid 7  for tomato worms ???
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 Kills them I hope and not good with Mayo, HUH.


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## smokyokie (Aug 1, 2007)

It's Sevin, not seven.  It is an insecticide.  In fact, it was what they were making at the factory in Bhopal, India several years ago when the factory blew up and killed a few thousand people.  You may remember


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## peculiarmike (Aug 1, 2007)

Be happy to dry and save some for you. OR, bring a load down for the smoker christening.


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## keywesmoke (Aug 1, 2007)

and yet I'm a cad for suggesting it?! Unhand me sir!


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## smokyokie (Aug 1, 2007)

we'd better be careful, or someone is bound to challenge someone to defend hi/her honor.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	

















Tim


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## peculiarmike (Aug 1, 2007)

Slingshots and grape tomatos at 50 yards!


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## smokyokie (Aug 1, 2007)

Too many years of working around chemicals made me this way.  What's your excuse, too much diesel engine and generator vibrations?

Tim


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## peculiarmike (Aug 1, 2007)

Actually, I think it was the smoke.


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## deejaydebi (Aug 1, 2007)

Tim -

Great looking tomatoes! The recioes looks great too - are you Italian? 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	






Guys -
I have to go with the Mayo group here! Nice toasted bread smeared a nice fresh mayo juicey sliced with tomatoes! Man! That's what summer is for!

BUT it hasto be fresh mayo! Here's how I make it

Mayonaise
1 cup Salad oil
1 Egg
2 tablespoons Lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Cajun Spice to taste

Optional for dips
4 tablespoons ketsup to taste
2 tablespoon horseradish to taste

Beat egg or egg yolks until it gets thick
add 1 teaspoon oil at a time beating well between each addition
after adding about hald the oil add a few drops lemon juice, the oil uil it's all added. If you don't add the oil REALLY low it won't thicken!


twistertail -

Make little collars out of cardboard and make a little fence around your tomatoe plants. Make sure the cardboard sets down into the dirt about 1/2 and the cutworms can't get in. Sounds weird but it works. We made these by the hundreds as kids to protect our crops! How the picutre makes it clear. Just cut a strip of card board about 6" long and 4 " high and cut slits into the ends about halfway down and slide the ends one into the other.

It's apparently to late for this year but next year try it!


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## dacdots (Aug 1, 2007)

Im open to suggestion,so today for lunch at work I left the Whip in the fridge and tried Mayo.Not bad at all I gotta say.Thats why I joined this site,to learn.


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## squeezy (Aug 1, 2007)

Love to hear comments like that brother!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 ... also like that with crispy fried bacon and lettuce .... Mmmmmm!


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## deejaydebi (Aug 2, 2007)

Can I make a suggestion about anti bug stuff?

I don't do chemicals but I use alot of dishsoap and water in my sprayer and it seems to help alot. It does wash off in the rain but I think it's safer than sevin dust.


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## smokyokie (Aug 2, 2007)

Not Italian, but used to live with one (a few years).


If your making mayo, why not turn it into aioli by adding a little garlic to the fray.  And as long as your doing that ,you might as well sub a little chipotle juice for some of the lemon, or just toss in a chipotle pepper, and lime juice really goes well  in that mix..........................
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 oops, there goes the old A.D.D. again.  Ah, so many possibilities and so little time.



For tomato plant protectors, we use1/2 or 1 gallon plastic plant pots (you know, the ones that your posies come in from the nursery) and cut the bottoms out, then turn them upside down so that the wider end faces up, then push them into the dirt a litlle ways.  We've been using the same ones for years.  the black seems to help warm the cool spring soil also.

Tim


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## shellbellc (Aug 2, 2007)

another easy to use protector is yogurt cups, just cut the bottom off, cut a slit up the side and put it around the stem....


It's whip in my house, I even used to MW sammiches as a kid 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  We hardly ever even have mayo laying the fridge...but fresh slices, fresh ground pepper on toast with Miracle Whip...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   I also like to dice with some red onion and red wine vinaigrette in a bowl, let sit for awile to absorb...I love that stuff.  I like fresh sliced tomatoes, fresh sliced mozz, fresh picked basil, a little evoo and some good balsamic vinegar!!!  Love the stuff, it's my app of choice when out for dinner.


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## smokyokie (Aug 2, 2007)

That's that Caprese salad that someone else was talking about.  Definitely one of my faves!

But hey, it just dawned on me, nobody has mentioned slices on a plate w/ thin sliced sweet onion and Western dressing on top.  I always thought that was a staple.


Tim


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## shellbellc (Aug 2, 2007)

First, I have to ask, what's Western Dressing?  I usually just slice them up, sprinkle some salt, spread some MW, then a douse of fresh ground pepper.  Knife and fork me little bite size pieces!!


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## smokyokie (Aug 3, 2007)

Western dressing is the original sweet red french salad dressing. It's kinda like Kraft Catalina dressing only better if you're familiar with that.

Tim


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## shellbellc (Aug 3, 2007)

Oh ok...I've had the Catalina, but never thought about putting it on tomato slices.  Speaking of which, dinner last night, mater sammich & 2 ears of sweet white corn!  Summer supper at it's best!


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## webfoot (Aug 15, 2007)

Tomatoes look good SmokyOkie.

Tomatoes are high up on my favorite veggie list.  Yes I do know they are not a veggie but a fruit but I don't care.

When I want to eat a mater, it needs nothing but a little salt.  Around here if a tomato comes in contact with mayo, it had better be between a couple slices of bread and keeping company with some bacon and or an egg.

Tomatoes are just starting to ripen. Saw my first salad size tomato that's turning red tonight.  We grow 5-6 varieties from small sweet 100's to the king of the hill, Brandywine.  There's hell to pay if I can't find Brandywine starts but addressed that problem this yr with the purchase of a green house and starting all our own tomato plants.

With 30 plants coming on, it's getting time to go on a tomato diet.


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## deejaydebi (Aug 15, 2007)

Gotta pick tomatoes at my sisters tommorrow after work. She doesn't can so after a week of tomatoes the rest are mine! I didn't do a garden this year.

Guess I'll be canning tomorrow night!


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## smokyokie (Aug 15, 2007)

Ah yes,  the famed Bacon Egg Lettuce and Tomato or more affectionately, the BELT sammich..An all time fave.

I came across a solution to the plant shortage situation this year
http://www.chileplants.com/search.as...Button=Pressed

These guys have just about anything you could want.  They're a little high, but the plants are A-1 healthy sturdy little buggers.

I quit the sweet 100's because so many are so small, and they wanted to take over the garden from year to year by volunteer.  I've started using the "Black Cherry".  It looks like a small version of the Cherokee Purple (which I'm tempted to say has taken the #1 spot away from the Brandywine in our book).


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## devolutionist (Aug 15, 2007)

I'm in the plain w/salt and pepper camp... but lord knows I love a good BLT on wheat.

Goodness is it lunchtime yet?


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## smokyokie (Aug 15, 2007)

You haven't lived til you've put a nice juicy over easy egg on that BLT.


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## webfoot (Aug 16, 2007)

Went out to the garden today and did a little searching around the tomatoes.  Found the first 2 salad size tomatoes.  Not quite fully matured, sorta salmon color.  Looks like we are gitting into the home stretch for the decent sized fruit.  I image in another 2 weeks we'll be picking tomatoes almost daily.  During the peak of the harvest a 5gal bucket every day or two is about the norm.

We've replaced sweet 100's with a yellow variety, sun gold (?).  It has that old time real tomato taste, a definate bite from the high acid content.  Their size can vary but not unusual for them to be close to an inch in dia.

With the real guys coming on there is going to be a lot more BLT's, BELT's or just eggs with plenty of home grown tomatoes.

Speaking of home grown tomatoes, anyone familiar with the song of that name?


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## smokyokie (Aug 16, 2007)

I planted a gold (almost orange) cherry this year, it sounds like the one you're describing.  They're really tasty , and prolific.  The black cherry is still our fave though. qnd they're about twice the size.

I'm real jealous though, ours are just about played out, and with this heat wave, they're not making any more.  The cherries are stil going crazy, but the slicers are running out.

No, I haven't heard of that song.  Maybe you could hum a few bars for us.


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## webfoot (Aug 24, 2007)

Been away for a few days.  The tomatoes are coming on now.  These golden one are ones we started from seed gathered last yr.  Just surprising how the size varies.  From large jawbreaker to mothball size.

Oh, for the song, look here for the lyrics.  http://www.mistyriverband.com/module...rtid=19&page=1

and here for a sample from a local group we enjoy very much.  http://www.mistyriverband.com/module...download&sid=1

Take a listen to some of their music I think most adults would enjoy.


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