Date: September 23rd, 2026 1:25 PM Author: wine orchestra pit
I make a killer pasta sauce with San Marzano tomatoes, caramelized onions, beef or chicken stock, a bit of Chianti wine, and garlic and other spices. I simmer it for 5 hours. My wife loves it and it’s why she hasn’t left me
Date: September 23rd, 2026 12:50 PM Author: vengeful chad
Yeah I grow tons of tomatoes the big ones are too watery. Cause people water them too much cause they want the size. But a tomato needs a little drought and harassment to develop great flavors. Peppers are like that too. plus a tomato needs to be roasted/seared in olive oil to really make the flavor pop. Ppl are wasting their potential eating them cold IMO its like driving a Ferrari in 2nd gear
Like a quick compote of cherry tomato w/ some garlic on that burger would be better
Date: September 23rd, 2026 12:53 PM Author: gunneratttt (gunneratttt)
I agree that compotes on sandwiches are underappreciated. But there's something about a big raw slice that makes many sandwiches. No substituting one on a BLT for instance.
Date: September 23rd, 2026 1:02 PM Author: Fucking Fuckface
Absolutely this. The tomatoes I had in Costa Rica and Portugal are miles better than anything I've had anywhere else. They were almost like eating an entirely different food from what we typically think of as tomatoes
Date: September 23rd, 2026 1:13 PM Author: gunneratttt (gunneratttt)
Real ass farmers markets have the farms name on the stalls and are staffed by actual farmers. I have seen the shysty sysco slop peddlers you're referring to though.
Date: September 23rd, 2026 1:18 PM Author: Harsh Flickering Property
2/3 of the booths at these "farmers markets" are manufactured value-added products and not even original produce. shit like hummus and guac and juices. these shysters go from one farmers market to the next on a circuit. it's just a business and they arent farming shit
Early Girl tomatoes are not inherently more flavorful than all other tomatoes, but dry-farmed Early Girls achieve an intense, concentrated flavor that surpasses many standard varieties.
Why Early Girl Flavor Varies
Standard vs. Dry-Farmed: Grown with regular watering, standard Early Girl tomatoes have a mild, classic, and slightly acidic taste that beats supermarket fruit but trails rich heirlooms.
The Dry-Farming Effect: When grown using dry-farming methods (common in regions like California's Early Girl hotbeds), plants receive no supplemental irrigation after being established. The roots dive deep for moisture, which stresses the plant and dramatically concentrates the sugars, acids, and minerals in the small fruit.
Speed vs. Depth: Early Girls are prized because they ripen fast (around 50 to 52 days), satisfying the craving for the first fresh summer tomato when complex heirlooms aren't ready yet. However, many gardeners eventually move past them for deeper, sweeter, or less acidic large-fruited heirlooms once peak season arrives.
If you are planning to grow or buy them, would you like to know more about how to dry-farm them at home or compare them to specific sweet varieties like Sungold or Celebrity?
Date: September 23rd, 2026 4:45 PM Author: Out-of-control Crotch
It's so hot out where I am. Also on city water here, and it is shit pure shit. But I think I've finally figured out a routine. I can't get a bigger tomato crop to fruit early enough here before the heat gets so bad the blooms won't fruit.
Over the past 2 years, I've finally figured out that cherries are the only way. I plant the husky cherry red variety and pay up for the plants at $5 a piece at Home Depot or whatever. I get them out early and have a decent first crop in the early summer before the heat. But, I just keep hitting them with water all summer, although I only will get a few. It's usually enough to make salads or whatever.
Then I have the mature plants in the fall, and that is when I will get another huge crop. Right now, I am about to have a ton of new fruits. Because they are cherries, I tend to have time for them to get ripe before the first frost if I'm lucky.
I also have 3 of those orange cherries that I planted from seed. I didn't get but a few off them in early summer and nothing in the heat, but I hope they will fruit here in the autumn. Those oranges are the fucking bomb though.