My tomatoes have started ripening in the last week or ten days. I know some people have been posting that their tomatoes are finished. But for here this is the right time for tomatoes to ripen.
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| Tomatoes just starting to turn |
I plant my tomatoes on the south side of a brick house. The soil has warmed up in the spring. It is warmer on the south side of the house and they are protected from early frosts.
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| I can't wait for these to ripen! |
I keep my tomatoes going until Sept. 30. I know I have to baby them from frosts so I do some covering. They do produce in Sept. but very slowly.
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| Cherry tomatoes |
I love eating fresh tomatoes. As a kid I would reach into a box of tomatoes my Mom had and take two or three and eat them like apples. This was the after school snack. Now I just make sure I have tomatoes for two meals a day.
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| And here we go! |
When my tomatoes ripen faster than I can eat them, I freeze them. For freezing , I wash them, take out the two ends and put them in a bag and throw them in the deep freeze. You can take the skins off the tomatoes by dropping them in hot water for 30 sec. of so. The skin comes off very easily and you don't have to contend with a skin that doesn't cook. When I want tomatoes for cooking later on I just bring out a bag of tomatoes and I'm in business.
So this is a time of year that I look forward to and enjoy a special treat from my garden.
