Home-Grown Tomatoes

photo belongs to www.ShelleyGoldbeck.com
photo belongs to www.ShelleyGoldbeck.com

“The only things that money can’t buy are love and home-grown tomatoes.”

I heard this in a song last week and I believe it to be true.

There is nothing like the taste of home-grown tomatoes. The tomatoes we get in the stores are mere thick-skinned, tasteless, mealy, red orbs, even when we pay $4 per pound for the privilege of buying them “on the vine”. They’re designed to look pretty in the supermarket, all the same size and shape, and thick-skinned to survive travelling the globe.

Many Calgary gardeners picked bushels of green tomatoes off their plants prior to the first snow of the season, the summer season! We got several inches from September 8 to 11,

photo courtesy of Joyce Smith
photo courtesy of Joyce Smith

devastating our city’s mature deciduous trees.

I simply covered my tomatoes and prayed. They were late starting and had just begun looking promising after six weeks of decent summer weather. I thought we’d get a skiff of snow, some frost and then I’d uncover them and they would flourish in our two additional months of summer. Dreamer!

Almost a week later I have yet to uncover them. The snow was followed by several nights of serious frost. I’m frankly, scared to look.

For those who picked them all, here are some tips for getting the most out of your home-grown tomatoes.

  • Sort them. I put them one layer deep, not touching each other, in stackable boxes in a cool dark place. I tend to put the larger tomatoes together and the cherries, grapes and other minis together.
  • Check often. Tomatoes can ripen overnight, it seems. One day there are none. The next, there are too many to reasonably consume.
  • Eat them. In tomato season, I serve sliced tomatoes at almost every meal. They provide enzymes, vitamin C, lycopene, and taste so wonderful! A fabulous dish is tomato soup (see recipe) made with home-grown tomatoes. You’ll never go back to the canned stuff.
  • Freeze them. When the ripening tomatoes exceed our ability to consume them, I wash and dry the excess, pop them whole into freezer bags and freeze. Then when I need canned tomatoes for a soup, stew, or other dish, I simply run the frozen tomatoes under hot water. The skins peel right off and I throw the tomatoes into the pot, chopped or not. As canned tomatoes are quite salty, I usually add salt to the dish. Freezing is so much easier than canning tomatoes, less labour, heat, and electricity. I can use just one tomato or a number. (When I open a can, I have to use them all!) I rarely buy canned tomatoes: even the organic ones come in plastic lined tins, a source of toxins.
  • Share them! Non-gardeners have no idea how wonderful home-grown tomatoes taste. If you share this “candy*” with them, you might motivate them grow their own tomatoes.
photo belongs to www.ShelleyGoldbeck.com
photo belongs to www.ShelleyGoldbeck.com

It seems to me there would be more of the other thing money can’t buy, love, if more people knew the joy of home-grown tomatoes.

*That’s what my friend called them to get her reluctant Grandtoy to try her home-grown tomatoes. Grandtoy agreed and ate more!

Cheers for Cherries!

cherryCherry season says summer. And it’s here now!

For the next month or so, cherries are in stores, at farmers’ markets and impromptu roadside stands.

There is nothing like biting into a cherry and feeling the crunch of the crisp skin as it snaps between my teeth. The ensuing explosion of juicy flavour brings ecstasy to my mouth!

Cherries are among the healthiest foods on earth. They contain a plethora of nutrients including Vitamins A and C, anti-oxidants, and phytochemicals.

There are several studies suggesting that cherries prevent cancer.

But you won’t see that in a TV ad. The US cherry growers suggested on their website that cherries could prevent cancer. The statement is backed by solid scientific studies.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) successfully sued the cherry growers for making health claims. It doesn’t matter if they’re true; such claims are verboten!

Yet Subway makes “Eat Fresh” claims. Their lettuce arrives at the restaurant pre-chopped and it never turns brown! They obviously spray or soak it in something to preserve it. Is that something good for me? Does the FDA sue Subway? Of course not.

If we eat too much healthy food we won’t get sick. Our being sick is in the best interest of many companies. So unless we look for them, we will never learn the health benefits of eating cherries.

I suggest you eat as many cherries as you can in the next month. Organic is best but all fruit should be thoroughly washed.

From USDA
From USDA

Cherries don’t hang around long at my house so I have few recipes for them.

A great way to serve them, especially if they’re getting soft, is to stew them. Throw into a pot with a bit of water. Add sweetener (honey, maple syrup, agave, coconut sugar) to taste. Bring to slight boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until fruit is soft. Cool slightly. Serve warm with a few tablespoons of coconut milk.

Warning: overeating raw cherries can lead to a few unpleasant side effects. Because they’re high in vitamin C and fibre, they can have a laxative effect. If you’re sensitive to them, it’s best to eat a few each day and work your way up to eating them by the case like I do!

Don’t forget to include sour cherries in your diet. Their nutritional profile is even higher than the ones commonly sold in stores. Sour cherries of some variety grow almost everywhere and their seasons vary. Sour cherries are great edible landscape plants.

So cheers for cherries. Eat ‘em while they’re here for they are too soon gone.