Beautiful Life Magazine

My favorite thing about having a big yard is my vegetable gardens! My tomato garden is taking shape right now. I planted heirloom tomatoes, romas, Brandywines, some hybrids, beefsteak, bloody butchers, and gardener’s delight cherries. This summer’s harvest is perfect, perfectly shaped, perfectly smooth, and perfectly red. Perfectly delicious!

Tomatoes fully ripened on the vine have a much fuller flavor than those that are picked early and then allowed to ripen. Many cherry tomatoes, however, have a tendency to crack if they stay on the plant, so they should be picked at the peak of redness, or even a tad before.

During the early evening when temperatures are consistently below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, tomatoes will no longer ripen on the vine, so it is time to bring all mature green tomatoes indoors, either on the vine or off.

Storing

Before storing your tomatoes wash and dry them. Unless you’re planning to store your tomatoes for over a week, a counter-top or bowl works fine. If you know you won’t use them in the next few days, then lower temperatures (a cool entryway, the refrigerator) will help preserve the fruit. Contrary to our common belief storing in a refrigerator is not recommended, because the cooler temperatures can reduce flavor and cause mushiness. Your freshly picked tomatoes will last longer on the kitchen counter than store-bought ones, which are probably a few days old when you get them.

If you end up with too many tomatoes to eat at one time, try these storage methods:

• canning, which will preserve your tomatoes for a year or more;

• freezing, which can be used for up to eight months;

• drying, which can keep tomatoes for more than a year.

Enjoy your summer, enjoy your tomatoes!