Tomato Fever

Some years it takes awhile longer to harvest tomatoes in the Bay Area summer. This year I pampered my tomatoes with monthly fertilizer (my worm tea of course) and planted them with lots of crushed eggshells for the added calcium.

Tomatoes are vines, and so so many people I know use teeny tiny pots or cages to hold what wants to be a 9-foot vine in a 20 gallon tub. I found these tomato cages online: http://tomatocage.com/about.html, with little fanfare. Even though they are pricey, they do the job by providing a strong frame in a relatively small package.

Texas Tomato Cages are sets of galvanized steel rings, 3-feet in diameter. Each extension is 3-feet tall and the foundation rings have a longer set of but all rings fold flat for storage. (I have used all three sections every summer for my tomatoes.)

My favorite saucing tomato continues to be the San Marzano.

I've grown different varieties from time to time, like 'Green Zebra', which is supposedly a favorite of food icon Alice Waters. But this year I decided to only grow what I liked to eat, without any room for exploration. So, two Persimmon tomatoes, two Cherokee Purples, and two cherry varieties: Sunburst and Juliet.

The Juliet is so prolific, and the fruits substantially meaty enough to roast or sauce on their own.

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