Getting a steady harvest from the planters these days. Clockwise from the top: Big Boy, Momotaro, Golden Honeybunch, Juliet, Rose de Berne, Cherokee Purple, with a striped Vintage Wine and one lonely Chocolate Cherry at the center-top.
Neither my camera nor my photo-correction skills are good enough to represent these colors properly — the Chocolate Cherry, in particular, has a luminous ‘champagne pearl’ glow, the Momotaros have a pinkish undertone, and the Rose de Bernes are the color of the most expensive coral jewelry. As for the Cherokee, it may not be much to look at, but the taste is unsurpassed!
What’s on everyone’s docket for a summer Sunday?
__
chicago dyke
very nice! here in central MI, we just harvested our first couple of romas last week, with tons more to come starting this week. i’ve got about 10 different varieties growing. no pics yet, i, um, ate mine before i remembered to photo them. :-)
Joey Maloney
GodDAMN, I love me some Cherokee tomatoes. I may have to smuggle some seeds back through the ag. station after my next trip home.
Tomato Thief
Just lookin’ for some work.
kommrade reproductive vigor
Inception at the best movie theater in D.C.
Kristine
I’ve got Cherokee Purples in my raised bed. Just greenies so far, but some of them look as misshapen as yours, so I’m on the right track.
I actually have to do side-job work today, but since temps are only supposed to hit 80F I may take the laptop outside and sit on the deck.
SiubhanDuinne
I’ll be getting ready for a trip to Charleston later this wekk — preliminary packing, etc. Have a manicure before I trip on my fingernails. And tonight I’m working the press club debates for some of the run-off candidates who didn’t score a clear win in last week’s primaries.
Mostly, though, just trying to stay out of the heat as much as possible. It’s only 7:30 am but already about eleventy-thousand degrees with humidity to match.
Anne Laurie, those tomatos make my mouth water! Beautiful. Enjoy the bounty.
BR
More gardening for me. Winter squash time.
And I was reminded this morning why I don’t like dkos any more – the firebaggers who seem to have taken over some diaries over there were upset when I reminded them that Obama isn’t the only source of all problems in the known universe, but that maybe congress – including their heroes like Feingold – sometimes causes problems too.
J.
They are GORGEOUS! I’m envious. My daughter got one of those Topsy Turvy tomato planters, which my husband helped her set up (at no small cost) and our first tomato, although it looked nice, was totally tasteless. :-(
Bravo to you, Anne!
Monkeyhawk
I gave up growing tomatoes long ago.
Squirrels get ’em. You can’t defeat squirrels.
So I rely on the Farmers’ Market.
Tomatoes started ripening in Kansas at the beginning of the month. The heirlooms are taking their sweet time.
I eat ’em like apples, sliced with bleu cheese, and bacon-and-tomato sandwiches (lettuce is for dilettantes.)
Which sets up today’s spirited debate: “real” mayonnaise or Miracle Whip?
SiubhanDuinne
@Monkeyhawk: No contest. Real mayonnaise. By which I mean, make your own. Eggs, oil, lemon juice, pinch of salt and pepper if you like. Whir em in the blender. My secret ingredient for mayo (also quiche, omelettes, and the like) is freshly-grated nutmeg.
I keep Hellman’s on hand for mixing up tuna salad, but if I’m going to use mayo as a spread I want it to be homemade and fresh.
Miracle Whip? Go wash your mouth out with soap.
Kristine
@Monkeyhawk:
Call me a heathen, but I was raised by MW-eating parents, and I prefer it to mayo, which tastes flat and oily to me. Granted, I have never tried to make my own. Maybe that would sway me. But Hellman’s? Blech.
RedKitten
@Monkeyhawk: Real mayo, absolutely. Hellman’s has a new olive oil mayo out which is quite enjoyable.
No plans for us today, except for bringing a metric shit-ton of garbage and recycling to the dump — we’ve been away for the last three weekends, and so didn’t get a chance to go before now. Just seeing the sheer quantity of diapers in there has made me consider cloth. So I got my dad to pick up a Bumgenius diaper for me up in Moncton, and will be trying it out on SamKitten next week.
Besides, the appeal of disposables is diminishing, as we’ve had a few diapers completely fail on us, to the point where all of the absorbent gel inside leaked out. And that stuff is HELL to try to wash off of a changing table and a squirmy bum.
scav
@Monkeyhawk: ooooo, careful. You going anywhere near the Great Hellmann’s / Best Foods divide, let alone the out of a jar v. the you’re staring at a wire whisk there buddy controversy?
kommrade reproductive vigor
You’re comparing apples to oranges. Or apples to a pile of whipped, sweetened crap.
chopper
got a nice lil harvest of brandies yesterday. some cracking, as here in NYC we’ve had alternating drought and massive thunderstorms (mostly drought). and we have blight problems. and god knows what kind of crap in our soil. and the air is literally filthy.
but tomatoes!
HRA
No contest – real mayo
The 2 day marathon baking for a grad party is over. Now I have to begin packing, shopping for food, etc. for the week at the cottage by the lake.
That’s a beautiful bounty of tomatoes. I am curious to see the bounty from purple tomatos my daughter planted in her garden. Personally I can’t get by the color since purple to me is solely for eggplants.
chopper
@SiubhanDuinne:
a lil good mustard helps. mustard lets me get away with fewer egg yolks (it has some emulsifiers innit), which is good, cause if my wife ever actually sees me making the stuff she starts rustling in the closet for a baseball bat.
StonyPillow
Nothing like early morning vegetable pron — puts an old man in the mood to peel a tomato.
Peter J
Texas is “being” “invaded” “right” “now”, and all we got is an Open Thread?
Svensker
@Monkeyhawk:
There is no debate. There is only real mayo.
Svensker
@scav:
?
Hellmann’s IS Best Foods. Same company, same mayo, diff name on diff coasts.
demo woman
Bagels, Cream Cheese and Tomatoes. Yum!
It’s already 80 and expected to climb once again to the mid nineties. We are under a heat advisory because the heat index will be over one hundred…
asdf
I’ve had checkers at the supermarket scold me for buying Miracle Whip. Ladies I dated were horrified. Eventually, I learned to love mayo but in my heart, I yearn for the Miracle Whip of old.
Violet
Wow, those tomatoes are gorgeous. I’m getting ready for the second planting here. Fall tomatoes are often way better than spring tomatoes. We’ll see how it goes. I’ve got to get the beds in first.
I’m spending the day unpacking. Still. A lot of crap is piling up for the Mother of All Garage Sales. Too much stuff really weighs you down. Can’t wait to get rid of it.
Nicole
@RedKitten: We’re going to try g diapers (cloth or flushable inserts) once the little guy is big enough for the smalls. Let me know what you think of the bumgenius?
With family today, so they can meet the baby and so I can see my horse. Too hot to ride though. Boo!
shortstop
There is nothing like a tomato sandwich with lettuce, a bit of onion, mayo, salt and pepper on really chewy whole-grain bread. It must be eaten barefoot over the sink (because of juices) with excellent music playing.
I always want to make my own mayo, but I can’t get my food-poisoning-paranoid mom’s voice out of my head warning me against ever, EVAH consuming uncooked eggs. Talk me down, y’all.
scav
@Svensker: Slightly different formulations N/S if what I remember is true. One of them is sweeter.
Emma
Real mayo. Miracle whip — yech. Second the suggestion for the olive oil mayo, though. Quite acceptable.
However, for tuna salad, try red pepper hummus instead of either. A very little goes a long way and it makes the tuna most yummy.
And the very best way to enjoy a tomato is on Cuban, French, or Italian bread that has been rubbed with olive oil and garlic.
demo woman
@asdf: According to the Kraft site, the first two ingredients of mayo is soybean oil and then water. The first two ingredients of miracle whip is water then soybean oil. Just tell those rude check out folks, that Miracle Whip is a healthy alternative.
I’m a mayo person. btw.
HRA
@Peter J:
It’s not true.
http://confederateyankee.mu.nu/archives/303950.php#Scene_1
scav
@scav: As if the use of the word “formulations” in that context didn’t give my underlying preference away. Ditto on the hint of a bit of mustard in it. FWIW, wiki agrees with the different recipes info, only says it’s an E/W difference. I seem to remember maps with some N/S variation too — maybe that was the Cola/Pop or Sneaker/Tennies divide?.
Peter J
@HRA:
I know. That’s why there’s all those scare quotes.
stuckinred
@demo woman: Were we talking about Jim Martin the other day? Jane Kidd assures me he is a really good guy and he did not get fired from the Atlanta School Board.
demo woman
@Peter J: It could be true though. What did Sarah and Fox News say? What did Breitbart say?
demo woman
@stuckinred: That’s what I guessed. My friends husband works with the school system but was appointed by Perdue.
Thank you for checking though.
Svensker
@asdf:
I have a confession. Grew up on Miracle Whip and only switched to mayo when I became a sophisticate (i.e., left the parental home). A few years ago I got nostalgic about M.W. and bought some — plus it seemed so retro and charming. But, you can’t go home again — the stuff was so sweet and disgusting I couldn’t eat it.
Cat Lady
@Peter J:
The comments there are hilarious. What a bunch of assclowns.
HRA
This is all we need to know.
“From someone near the scene, who knows Kim Dvorak and is monitoring the situation: “RE: Laredo: I just spoke to Kimberly Dvorak who has been a source on ACORN stories for Breitbart, and wrote this article: http://is.gd/dEVcy. Kimberly is adamantly standing by her story, and gave me the name of one of her three sources inside the PD/Sherrif’s Dept., two of whom…she says not only confirmed the story of the ranches being seized, but elaborated in great detail what was happening. She also has other sources on the ground, non-law enforcement. She is mid-stream in developing and further reporting the whole story, and she has.. reason to believe that law enforcement is in mid-operation on the ranches, and do not want their operation interrupted with publicity before (23 minutes ago via web)”
http://patriotresistance.com/DEFCOM-STATUS-PAGE-2.html
Furthermore, Breitbart is confirming:
http://bigpeace.com/stzu/2010/07/24/breaking-news-multiple-ranches-in-laredo-texas-taken-over-by-los-zetas/
Further down in the comments on Confederate Yankee is a person who lives in the area cited and who walked down the road to see nothing happening at all.
WereBear
The mayo/Miracle Whip comparison is kind of like a Black Forest Torte/Twinkie comparison.
Kids, in both cases, actually prefer the latter. But they have different taste buds.
demo woman
Does anyone know if they caught the Big Mexican Ladies that were helping the Afghanistan soldiers go awol? So many stories and so few answers.
tesslibrarian
If you want real mayo that tastes good but don’t want to take the time to make it, you buy Duke’s.
It’s one of those southern standards (along with White Lily flour) that make all the difference, one of the items I’d order shipped to me if I lived in a place where it wasn’t sold.
ETA: big, beautiful basil leaves are a nice addition to most bacon & tomato sandwiches. Bright and lovely, much better than lettuce.
Anya
I don’t get this feud between mayo lovers vs MW lovers. The reality is they have the same ingredients but in different quantities. Personally, I think both are disgusting.
Peter J
Texas is the biggest state that voted for McCain in 2008, you have to be really stupid not to see that Obama is giving away the state to Mexico to be able to win in 2012.
IMPEACHMENT!
;)
shortstop
By far my favorite comment on CY:
“Why local police are denying and why no intense local news coverage still puzzles.”
Cat Lady
@demo woman:
I heard that al quaeda chimps with AK 47s are laying down cover for Taliban fighters so that sharia law will be enforced by Holder’s army of illegal brown racists when the Obamacare death panels convene to murder Trig Palin. also.
demo woman
@Cat Lady: I never linked to the taliban monkey story. Did Fox News really cover it? Will the Onion be able to compete?
russell
Yay! Vegetable p0rn!!!!
Dude, you need to get yourself some better lettuce.
And what’s Miracle Whip?
Winnepesaukee yesterday, outdoor festival gig in Lowell last night.
Today is sleep late, practice some ii-V-I’s in all 12 keys, then outside to lay some brick garden bed edging.
Then dinner from whatever we got at the farmer’s market with a nice red.
I love summer.
jeffreyw
Reds are some of the hardest colors for my camera to process. There may be some kinda pro trick or even a hidden “tomato rendering filter” in Photoshop that is a closely held secret. Here is the last batch of tomatoes Mrs J brought in. And some plain sauce made of them.
Phyllis
@SiubhanDuinne: SC or WV? Because if you’re headed to the Holy City, I’m happy to make about a 100 restaurant suggestions. Such as Hank’s, Fig, Cypress, 39 Rue de jean, Fish, and my all-time favorite, High Cotton. Then there’s Charleston Grill, Juanita Greenburg’s, Hominy Grill…I can go on and on.
R-Jud
Mr. Jud is at football practice. I was up at 5, harvested some raspberries, ran 10 miles, hauled a bunch of iron, saved a bird from the cat, and am now slow-roasting a chicken in bbq sauce. We will have corn with lime and chili, some steamed broccoli from the neighbor’s garden, and a nice red with it later.
The kid’s napping. I’m going to join her.
cmorenc
Tomatoes sound like they’d be one of the simplest of all vegetables to successfully, mainly find a sunny spot with fertile soil, make sure they get some fertilizer and water a couple times per week, and give ’em a stake or cage for support as the grow and climb.
NOT NECESSARILY SO. During extended hot weather (or unseasonably cool weather) they can develop blossom drop, and no tomatoes get set. Give ’em too much nitrogen fertilizer, and they develop lush foliage at the expense of blossoms. AND – they’re vulnerable to one of the most voracious, nightmarish-looking plant pests on the planet – tomato hornworms (green caterpillars really) whose coloration blends in and camouflages perfectly with the stalks and leaves, and can grow to be the size of small cigars – yet you may totally miss seeing them until you notice something has overnight stripped the leaves nude off entire stalks and you spend a few minutes looking closely for what the hell cause it. (Fortunately, there is a bacterial spray you can apply that’s harmless to humans yet quickly devastating to the hornworms, trouble is it washes off in the rain and breaks down after a week or so in the sun, and is a bit pricey (about $15.00).
Anya
@Peter J: What role did the large Mexican women have in this invasion?
MikeJ
Yesterday afternoon I noticed the second little tiny bud of a tomato on one of my plants.
The weather in the PNW wasn’t coöperative this year. Didn’t hit 75 until the 4th of July.
Amir_Khalid
There has been some truly depressing news here in Malaysia. Some misbegotten fool of a “religious scholar” has ruled that Manchester United FC replica shirts are haram (i.e. forbidden) because the devil is depicted on the club badge. Muslim Man U fans here are of course upset, and the suspicion has been voiced that the scholar in question is a Liverpool fan. (My own suspicion is that the idiot’s tied his turban too tight, and the blood supply to his brain has been cut off.)
When my country gets in the world news, it’s almost always about one of these nutjobs with some cockamamie scholarly finding like this. Why? WHY?
Cat Lady
@Anya:
They’re on Journolist and are helping Van Jones re-start ACORN. Q.E.D.
bemused
@HRA:
Hilarious and depressing at the same time. This country must have the dumbest, most gullible rightwingers ever. I’m waiting for Faux to pick this story up. In a local paper, their saturday, unsigned rant section had a typical ignoramus fuming that 1,000 felons voted illegally for Franken. Nevermind that all his “facts” were bs, he kinda, sorta forgot that secret ballots are like secret. Idiots.
In the last thread, does anyone else think that knowing every single detail of items in John’s home photos is a little peculiar? Sheesh, I’m not that aware of my own stuff.
MikeJ
@Amir_Khalid: Don’t feel bad. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, named after a fish, were forced to change their name by not very smart religious fanatics.
Doctor Science
Here in NJ heirloom tomatoes are running at least 10 days early due to the heat. Yesterday we had our first Heirloom Tomato Pizza of the season, with Cherokee Purples (aka “God’s Tomato”) and a yellow-orange and a red variety that I didn’t catch the name of.
Tonight’s menu will be:
– grilled dry-aged sirloin
– grilled corn-on-the-cob
– salad of lettuce, arugula, and super-sweet orange cherry tomatoes with caesar-esque dressing (garlic, mustard, anchovy paste, lemon juice, evoo)
– bread
– choice of humus, goat cheese, and bruscetta appetizers
– peaches, apricots, vanilla ice cream for dessert
It’s our weekly “family dinner”, with the usual suspects of real good friends — including R, our personal sommelier, who’ll be bringing a full assortment of wines. His goal: great wines for under $10.
All fruit and veg are local. And the heat is down. *Good* times.
jayboat
Now I am hungry. Tomato sandwiches for lunch, it is.
I remember a little gourmet food specialties store when I lived in Atlanta that sold a great mayo made with jalapeno peppers. Talk about ‘mater sammiches to die for.
Also, too- is someone mad at Texas today? Guess the secession isn’t progressing fast enough to please everyone.
gelfling545
If I don’t have time for homemade mayo (and it doesn’t take much time but also doesn’t keep well) MW is fine, Hellman’s is fine. No big deal. Homemade pesto mayo on fresh picked tomatoes is, on the other hand, the food of the gods.
Very sad that I couldn’t get juliet tomatoes locally this year. (Can’t do seed starts as the cats sleep in them or do other unacceptable things.) They are a big favorite of mine and perfect for a small household.
Ash Can
@HRA: Oh gawd. I can envision the whole thing, easily:
(Uniformed cop knocks on door of house on ranch. Resident opens door.)
Resident: Well, hi there, Bill. How’s your Sunday morning goin’?
Cop: Quiet as always, Pete. Just the way I like ’em. Say, could I borrow your jumper cable? Buddy of mine radioed me from town. Squad car battery’s dead.
(Local idiot drives past house in a beaten-up pickup truck covered in W stickers. He sees cop at door.)
Idiot: What’s a cop doin’ there on a Sunday mornin’? Must be trouble at the ranch. Maybe it’s…messicans. I gotta tell Kim!
(Idiot speeds home, runs to phone.)
Idiot: Kim! Izzat you?
Kim (sleepily): Huh? Wha? Who’s this?
Idiot: It’s me, Goober. Remember? I bought ya a drink in Dallas last month. We were at–
Kim: Yeah, I remember. You were the guy in the wig.
Idiot (proudly): That’s me! Anyways, you said to call you if’n I ever saw anythin’ pee-kyoolyer happenin’ around here.
Kim: Yeah. So what’s up?
Idiot: I saw cops out this morning. At a ranch. I think there’s trouble with illegals.
Kim (now wide awake): Cops? Ranches? Illegals? What town?
Idiot: Laredo.
Kim: I’ll get right on it!
(Kim phones Laredo PD.)
Voice: Police Department. Can I help you?
Kim: I have it from a reliable source that there’s extensive ongoing police activity at Laredo area ranches, and that a coordinated invasion of illegal aliens is involved. What can you tell me about this?
(“Voice” turns out to be person working police station switchboard. He covers bottom of handset and turns to another officer seated at an adjacent desk.)
Officer with phone: Hey Tim, I got a live one on the line. Wanna have some fun?
Tim: Hell yeah, it’ll give me something to do.
OWP (puts phone on speaker): Yes ma’am, I sure can. Seems we got us a whole army o’ furriners trying to take over our ranches just south o’ town. They’s in tanks and on horseback and in jeeps, wheelbarrows, you name it. They got guns, ammo, bazookas, shells, and stinkbombs. Somebody said they might even be carrying nukes. We called in the Marines, the Air Force, the National Guard, and the Coast Guard. It’s a right hell of a mess. You oughta see it! Ain’t that right, Tim?
Tim: Yup. He’s tellin’ the truth.
Kim (nearly in tears): Thank you so much, officers! Keep fighting the good fight for us patriotic Americans! I’ll make sure the world hears the truth!
OWP: Er…why don’t you wait a little while before tellin’ the whole world, ma’am. Say, a couple hours. Get a little rest in the meantime. (Thinks: and sober up.)
And the rest is
historystupid headlines on a Sunday morning.stuckinred
@jayboat: This week my wife coordinated a fund raiser for the local nurses clinic “Tomatos at Terrapin”. Terrapin is a local microbrewery and they have a big outdoor space. It was simple, sammies, music and brews. It was a great success and a good time was had by all, even those of us who don’t imbibe!
the white doggie and cocker our ours.
Ash Can
PS: And if Breibart’s confirming, you just know
Kim and her little friends are still trashed from last nightthe story is true.Anya
@Cat Lady: Speaking of Journolist, did you read Kathleen Parker’s take? I think she made sense, though it was not all that provocative. And since we are talking about Journolist, what’s up with Andrew Sullivan. Though he’s fantastic on some issues, he has a tenancy to overreact to some non issues. I stopped reading his blog when it turned into Daily Trig, but I checked last week and he was obsessing over Journolist. Apparently, it’s a huge surprise that bunch of liberal jouranlists, bloggers were happy that Obama won.
SiubhanDuinne
@Ash Can #60: Wow, that was *brilliant*!
@Phyllis #48: Oh, sorry, I sould gave specified. SC it is. Thanks for the restaurant recommendations. I’ll be attending a conference most of the time, with hotel/conference center meals laid on or organised tours — in any case, little opportunity to go out and explore. But as it happens, I’m staying on an additional couple of days to meet with C of C faculty members, Spoleto USA execs, etc and will enjoy getting out and sampling local fare.
We have a High Cotton in Atlanta (Dunwoody), or did a few years ago. Wonder if it’s the same ownership? It’s been 7 or 8 years since I was there, but it was wonderful. Thanks for the reminder.
jeffreyw
@stuckinred: Nice crowd.
Doctor Science
@Ash Can:
In a just world, Jon Stewart would be calling you soon. Your ear for dialogue is *flawless*, dude.
HRA
@Ash Can:
It made me weary to read the comments at Confederate Yankee of those who would believe Breibart and his cohorts. Actually, on second thought, they must be part of the scam and/or sent by him.
stuckinred
@SiubhanDuinne:Guess you won’t be able to get over to see the Yorktown?
Kristine
@Doctor Science: That pizza looks great. Must bookmark recipe.
SiubhanDuinne
@stuckinred #69: Now that you mention it, I think I will. I’ve signed up for a tour of Charleston Harbor, and the USS Yorktown is sure to be a major feature.
stuckinred
@SiubhanDuinne: Cool, they have a “Vietnam Support Base” there with choppers and pbr’s and stuff.
Origuy
TBogg is on top of the Great Larado Invasion.
QuaintIrene
LOL. I often read the forums over at the GardenWeb site. Threads for nearly every flower, veg imaginable. Some busier with posts than others. But I remember one post somebody started in the ‘Tomatoes’ folder about ‘How to make the perfect BLT’
And you think political blogs can get testy.
The thread practically exploded with replies. Everyone declaring what was THE proper way to make this classic sandwich. So much earnest discussion on type of bread, lettuce and types of tomatoes. Mayo or ME? Warfare practically broke out. And putting same on both slices of bread?
Even earnest debate on how to layer the sandwich. Tomato first or bacon?
This was last year. As far as I know it’s still raging.
licensed to kill time
@Ash Can: Bloody brilliant, and all too plausible. Well done!
Joel
@Peter J: When Confederate Yankee.. of all people.. is shooting this down, you know it’s true wingnut material.
4jkb4ia
Bill Madden at HOF ceremony giving wonderful speech. “With all due respect to the great broadcasters, the printed word is forever.” Currently giving tribute to Sporting News of his youth.
(Being able to see Whitey Herzog inducted through magic of intertubes almost worth missing NN.)
(Quotes Dick Young: “Don’t try to be Hemingway. You’re a reporter, not an essayist.”)
Corner Stone
@QuaintIrene:
And why not? What could possibly have more import?
IMO, I enjoy seeing people argue their passion.
jayboat
@QuaintIrene:
Ha! Not surprising at all. Remember that the toilet paper up or down kerfluffle on Dear Abby generated more responses than any other in the history of Dear Abby.
Passion, indeed.
Corner Stone
@jayboat:
Few things in life are so clear. Paper rolls over the top and flows down.
Why would I want to reach to the back of the roll for TP?
It’s like I’m asking the TP roll if I can have a square. And I’ll be damned if any TP roll is going to tell me what to do!
jayboat
@Corner Stone:
Completely agree.
But is it not true that which is blindingly obvious to many goes right over the heads of others? (see: Republicans, all)
shortstop
@jayboat: You dare imply secret conservatism on my part based on my TP preferences? You inutterable cad.
Actually, I would prefer the over-the-top method, but our dog just has way too much fun with that setup. For some reason, she ignores the TP if we go under rather than over.
karen marie
@Corner Stone: You’re damn right! On the rare occasion I use a bathroom that has the paper on wrong, I fix it.
Mmmmm … BLT!
I gotta get me some bacon!
Mr. Wonderful
@demo woman:
Yes! With Paul Kirk’s seasoned salt and fresh ground pepper. Nuff said!