Tomatoes- Better Luck Next Year

One of the garden's greatest pleasures is tomato season. Even folks that only dabble in gardening like to grow a tomato plant or two, and for good reason. Compare any tomato that is home grown and vine ripened to anything bought at the store.

 From the store, tomatoes are hard, dry, and tasteless.Often, I find the store's tomatoes to be mealy too. From home, they are soft yet firm. Juicy. Bursting with flavor.

One of my favorite signs of spring was the annual visit from my friend Steve Goto. Steve Goto bringing "GOTOMATO" to the nursery was more anticipated than the swallows returning to Capistrano. Steve is king of tomato knowledge. He has forgotten more about tomatoes than most folks will ever acquire. Sadly, Steve no longer holds his traveling tomato roadshow. He is employed full time at Roger's Gardens in Corona Del Mar. Make it a day trip and go to "GOTOMATO" at Roger's next year. It will be more than worth your while.

In my former garden I would typically raise 6-8 different varieties each year. I would take photos and notes, so that I could recommend the best ones to clients. Tomatoes were such a big event that each year I held a tomato "coming out" party for the first fruits of the season.

I would prepare Caprese style tomatoes with fresh buffalo mozzarella and basil from the garden. I would also buy the best torpedo rolls fresh from Solunto on India St., along with meats, smoked provolone, and pepperoncini from the deli. Those tomato filled torpedoes were one of the culinary highlights of the year for me.

I am putting together a new garden this year. I need my tomato fix. I was disappointed by the selection of plant starts at the nurseries this year. Some of my past favorites were nowhere to be found this year. Some of the big hits from years past were Thessoloniki, Caspian Pink, Black from Tula, Omar's Lebanese, Green Zebra, and Azore Red. This year all were absent. I ended up with Sungold, Black Krim, Stupice, and a new one for me, Zapotec. We'll see how they do.

The tomato I miss the most is not in my garden this year. I could never find it as a seedling. I always started my own from seed I would obtain from Renee's Garden Seeds.

My favorite tomato? Principe de Borghese. It is the absolute, very best tomato for making "sun dried" tomatoes. It is the number one choice in Italy. I have never seen it offered anywhere as a seedling. Thank goodness it is very easy to start from seed.

 Sun dried tomatoes are one of my favorite things. I own a dehydrator which makes preparing them very easy. But you can "sun dry" them (go figure, sun dried tomatoes dried in the sun?), or dry them in an oven set just on "warm".

Once dried , I either use the "food saver" and bag them in air-tight packages, or store them in the dark covered with olive oil in Mason jars.

If you like sun dried tomatoes, the difference between home grown and purchased is as different as the tomatoes from the supermarket and those you grow at home. The texture, flavor, and subtleties of taste will impress you.

Most tomatoes in the garden get huge. They sprawl over everything around them. Not so with Principe de Borghese. This little Italian prince is a very small plant, mine never grew more than 2 1/2'. It is compact. It has short branches. My guess is this is a determinate variety. It is a very heavy producer.

 It is a small fruit, has few seeds, and is meaty. It has very little moisture, which makes it great for drying. The flavor is superb. I add it fresh to pasta dishes too. It would also make a great addition for making marinara because it will punch up the flavor. One plant will provide the sun dried tomato needs for most folks for the whole year.

It is too late to start PDB seeds for this year, and it is probably the last week I would set out any tomato seedlings. But, there is always next year. Think about adding this tiny, tasty tomato to the garden next time.