Tomato's still going strong (warm weather)

I jst removed all leaves and unused stems from my tom plants.
This is the first season they have gone this far into the fall...




Fall plants are doing nicely now that the evening temps are coming down/

Hmm ... you're not worried that the tomatoes aren't going to have leaves to nourish them anymore?

Not really, leaves havent been doing well anyway, we usually take tomatoes off the garden plants and into the house.
Frost usually has arrived here by now..
Today was 85 degrees.
Tomatoes  will receive some nourishment anyway, even with leaves gone.
My opinion (which can be challenged) and usually is...

Unseasonably warm here also Jimmy.  Roasted 4 more pans of maters.  I'm a bit tired of them this year. Though its a nice complaint to have.  17 indeterminates  was a wee bit too much for two people, lol. Still have a few loaded vines.  Live and learn.  Thank goodness for roasting and canning.  Wish I had used more of the meaty paste varieties.  Dehydrating those would've been a nice alternative storage method.  Next year!

Momma
I'm considering a De-hydrator, my wife stews all tomato's and into the freezer.
Your idea of dehydration seems very interesting.

According to the Ball Book, sliced paste-type dehydrated maters can be used in soups and sauces or combined with other veggies for flavor.  Can be powdered and used to make tom sauces, paste or ketchup.

We're still going strong here on the Cape, too.  I love it!

Jimmy, what kind of tomatoes are those?  Are they tasty?

CC

Last summer was my experiment with drying produce outdoors and storing in sealed, vacuumed Mylar bags.  DH built 2 boxes with trays.  Roma tomatoes are excellent for drying, along with sliced strawberries and other fruits, and all kinds of soup veggies (par boiled for a minute or two to kill contaminants).  Of course herbs and chopped garlic and onions.

PS:  The box was retrofitted after the photo with fly screening on the front, top and back.  The "rising heat" design didn't work without a solar chute and I didn't want to bother building or storing one.

CC their just plain ol roma's.
Wife loves them, I dont.
I enjoy the big fat juicy one's with lots of seeds in them..

jimmy cee wrote:CC their just plain ol roma's.
Wife loves them, I dont.
I enjoy the big fat juicy one's with lots of seeds in them..

Ditto on that Jimmy!

On a side note, gotta take them out today..
Blight's getting to them, been a fantastic season anyway with Mel's Mix.
Cant wait till next season..working on 2 more beds now...

I am doing very well with my heirloom Black Krims.  They have lots of green fruit on them as well as the trademark yellow flowers.  Butterflies and bees are making regular visits to them and their companion French marigold plants (which are going bananas with blooms). 

No blight on my tomatoes at this time.  They look beautiful.  My neighbor (who is accustomed to bush tomatoes) is marveling at how long they are lasting (as will as how tall they are). 

When I first set up my boxes, he looked at them for a bit and then said:  "I just don't see it." - He's a man of few words.

Well.... Now he can see it!! 

My Better Bush II tomatoes still have over a dozen greenies on them, and a red.

My Juliets produced almost nothing all summer, and took forever to ripen the couple fruits each produced. But those fruits were big, and in the cooling wet weather, they are setting and growing more and more fruit -- and again at least some of them are really big.

Odd plant, but I guess this serves as a recommendation for Juliets if you like very late season tomatoes and live in a cool climate. And maybe a warning to think twice about planting them if you have prolonged serious heat in the summer (we can get to 95 to 100+ for days or even weeks on end). Maybe they should even be planted out especially early so they can make the most of a cool spring and have their fruits already set by the time serious summer heat sets in. Beautiful yellow/orange color, by the way.

Anyway, just anecdotal evidence from one guy. I don't think I'll be planting them next year. Too much of this year's crop is probably going to still be green by the time our snows hit.

llama momma wrote: Wish I had used more of the meaty paste varieties.  Dehydrating those would've been a nice alternative storage method.  Next year!

My thoughts too. Next year I grow only 3 for fresh eating and the rest are sauce/paste. I tried dehydrating tomatoes once and the gloppy stage was a bother and they tasted almost fermented. But those were not paste type tomatoes and I did not think to roast them first. Next year's experiments!