A crisp 58F at 9am, overcast rising to 76F and sunny by noon. The blossoms seem to have survived the frost intact, but half the tomatoes have died.
A crisp 58F at 9am, overcast rising to 76F and sunny by noon. The blossoms seem to have survived the frost intact, but half the tomatoes have died.
I have lost tomatoes to frost as late as June 1st. I plant after that date and hope there is no early frost in September. For that reason, I don’t plant San Marzano tomatoes, even though they are superior for sauce. I use Roma tomatoes and have had good luck with them. They mature earlier and show good disease resistance. They also are very productive. Here’s a great way to eat them:
1. Chop a dozen ripe tomatoes into eight pieces each, and place in a bowl.
2. Add enough olive oil to coat all the tomato pieces.
3. Add 3 cloves of finely minced garlic.
4. Add 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil.
5. Add 1/2 of a sweet onion sliced as thin as possible.
6. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
7. Sprinkle with oregano.
Toss the entire contents of the bowl until all the tomato pieces are thoroughly coated, and serve with a good, crusty Italian bread so you can mop up the wonderful juice. **(The bread can be had at Bread Alone or at Adams Fair-Acre Farms in Kingston. They sell bread from Arthur Avenue in the Bronx in their Deli section).