I only have a few cherry tomatoes in my garden this year–and the chipmunks are eating them all!
Sliced tomatoes with a little sugar, black pepper, and basil are my favorite.
I have re-homed six chipmunks (and counting) so far, and I didn’t even put in a veggie garden this year. I have no idea what they are getting so fat on, but they are like, jumbo-sized chipmunks.
I do have a miniature nectarine tree in the front yard, and this year it yielded the motherlode of nectarines. We ate them like crazy (couldn’t keep up!). One morning I went out to get the mail and the entire 6 foot tree was mysteriously stripped bare of nectarines. Even the ones that had fallen to the ground were gone. It was so freaky!
Here in the south the tomatoes won’t set if it goes over 90, and it’s been over 90 I swear the entire month. Local tomatoes aren’t so great right now.
@motherofdragons:
At least yours are a mystery, with my fruit I know where it goes, the chipmunks and squirrels come up on our back landing by the sliding glass door and eat what they have stuffed in their cheeks, taunting us with it…but little do they know, I have two vicious dogs and a somewhat feral cat, wait till they grow up evil laugh…then again, if anyone knows my pets, they would laugh their butts off at the thought of them being vicious lol. My dogs would probably sit there crying because the squirrels and chipmunks didn’t like them, and the cat would yawn and say “puh-leeze, that is so far beneath me” .
We have a two and a half-acre vegetable garden, and it is pretty difficult to keep the critters away. There was even a coyote eating something in the garden recently… My favorites are the cherry tomatoes. Last night we had a pile of them sautéed with basil (we have 6 kinds of basil!) and olive oil on pasta, with some grated cheese. It was sublime!
I’m so jealous. I dream of a tomato that tastes so good. I didn’t even try to grow anything this year. I have the opposite problem of Motherofdragons. I live in the small fog bank that hugs the coast. I don’t get enough hours of sun to set tomatoes. I have had a small amount of luck with cherry tomatoes that are specific for my climate. I think if I lived a few miles inland I would have better luck. Most tomatoes in the store are blah so I have never experienced tomato heaven.
Wow! That’s a huge garden, @cameo43! Do you can and freeze a lot? Or do you sell to others?
Nothing better than my daily summertime stop at the local farm stand.
Everyone wins.
I decided to simplify my garden this year and just grow some herbs, tomatoes and greens. I planted too many grape and cherry tomatoes vs. big tomatoes and have had a hard time keeping up picking them before they go rotten. I do enjoy eating the sweet yellow grape tomatoes every time I step out the back door! In September, I’ll start canning tomato jam and maybe some stewed tomatoes, but right now, there’s nothing better than a warm tomato and a shake of salt!
Just came across this tomato sandwich recipe and had to pull up this thread and post. Simple, but with a couple different ingredients that sound like something I must taste! Making one this week!
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-1-minute-tomato-sandwich-234117?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=managed
We are pretty much past tomato season where I live. I found two small good tomatoes last week, but July is peak here and it’s more miss than hit now. I know the CC powers that be tend to lock old threads that aren’t relevant when they come up again, but I hope we can bring this one up for more conversation next year in early July. After all, aren’t good homegrown tomatoes always relevant? 
I like to eat tomato with ginger/soy sauce/white vinegar sauce. I grate giner (2 TBs), add soy sauce and vinegar, then dip tomato chunks in it.
I have container gardens on my deck–only plant tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. This year, chipmunks found us–we used Have-a-heart traps and resettled 16 chipmunks and 2 squirrels in August to save the tomatoes. We have: Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra, San Marzano, and Black Cherry. I make tomato sauce and freeze it. This year, we also bought some tomato plants that were called paste tomatoes–I made tomato paste for the first time, which wasn’t that difficult. I have more than I can use and have given paste to my family and friends–everyone seems to love it.
Sliced Brandywine tomates with burrata and balsamic vinegar on top is my favorite way to eat tomatoes.
This is the first year I have ever harvested my own tomatoes. I volunteer for an heirloom seed project, so I was fortunate to be able to bring some tomato plants home. I amended the soil and put in a tablespoon of lime in the planting hole, fertilized and watched them grow like crazy. But then…our tree service sprayed them with herbicide.
There were a few tomatoes to taste. Love, love, love Red Brandywine! The German Strawberry and Mortgage Lifter were also good, but didn’t have that great tomato taste that the Red Brandywine did.
We eat fresh tomatoes sliced and as a side dish.
Tree service has been instructed to refrain from spraying anywhere near the tomato plants.
H loves his beefsteaks and heirlooms. I had to get him a new dinner plate which resembles a large shallow bowl. Every night during “tomato season” during tomato season he makes himself the same meal. a couple of tomatoes sliced thickly, a sliced avocado, some fresh hot peppers from his garden, cottage cheese, fresh basil, balsamic and olive oil.
^^^This sounds DELICIOUS!!! I wish I had some cottage cheese!!! I love tomatoes and hot peppers together. Yum.
Have you ever heard of a thunder cake? It is a chocolate cake, made with tomatoes. It was the wedding cake at my son’s wedding yesterday.
How did it taste @toledo? I’m guessing like zucchini in a cake the tomatoes gave it a little sweetness and made it moist???
@abasket, thanks for that tomato sandwich recipe – the honey is a touch I wouldn’t have come up with. (God I love a good tomato sandwich: great bread, unsalted butter, a really good tomato, kosher salt… ambrosia!)
I’m also intrigued with @Kajon cottage cheese salad and that tomato chocolate cake!
Oh, and @toledo – Congratulations!!
I bought some heirloom tomatoes today at the farmers’ market. German Striped and Cherokee Purple. They are big tomatoes, but less heft than I expected them to be for their size. Is this typical of these breeds? I hope they are still juicy. They weren’t cheap. Heirloom tomatoes go for $3/lb in my neck of the woods. I’m not sure how that compares to elsewhere.
Cut tomatoes in chunks. Mix with cucumbers cut into chunks. Mix in some Gorgonzola cheese…and toss with balsamic vinnegrette. Yum!