Summertime tomatoes
Hinterland Homesteading
- by Racheal Pascoe
It is a terrific time to grow tomatoes! They love the warmth and sunshine. I have few different varieties growing here at home, but by far I love the smaller ones. We graze on them while we are wandering around the garden and the plants are such prolific producers, you can still make pasta sauce out of them.
Tomatoes like a rich, well drained, soil in a full sun location. If you can’t give them this environment to grow in, you just won’t get the crop you had imagined. You can start with seeds or seedlings and you will need something to support the plants. There are 2 different types of tomato plants – determinate and indeterminate. These terms are referring to their growth habit. Determinate tomato plants are smaller, compact plants. They grow to a certain height, flower and fruit all in a short time. Indeterminate tomato plants usually grow and fruit for longer. They also grow to be 2-3m long. Cherry tomatoes that ramble all over the place are indeterminate plants. You can look up lots of plant care and pruning online for the 2 different types of plants.
My little tomatoes are all planted along an old farm gate in the garden. It is held up with 2 star pickets and is ideal. It has been good because as they have grown taller, I have woven them in and out of the gate and it has allowed good air flow.
Once you have lots of tomatoes… what will you do with them all? I love to make semi sun dried tomatoes. I have a cheapie dehydrator which was $55 from Kmart and it is terrific for experimenting. I let the tomatoes ripen on the plant for as long as possible. This way they are full of sweetness from the sun.
Wash and cut tomatoes in half lengthways. Dehydrate on 50 degrees for 8 hours and then fill jars with the tomatoes. Top each jar up with Australian olive oil. These are delicious on top of a salad or you could gift some to family and friends.
We also love spaghetti at home here. Homemade pasta sauce on zucchini ribbons, with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Perfect. Just this week I made a big pot of spaghetti sauce from grape tomatoes. I flavour it all up with crushed garlic, herbs, soy sauce, salt and pepper and once it is perking along nicely, I break up the tomato skins with the stick mixer. It works a treat. We don’t even have meat every time now. Just the delicious fresh pasta sauce and zucchini is tasty enough. I also freeze excess pasta sauce, ready to go for those nights when we come in late from the day.
You have lots of time to start growing tomatoes now. Look for healthy seedlings at the store and start planning how you will use your crop in the kitchen. Happy homesteading!