Nearly all my tomatoes have a split on them!

saver_1_2

tbw wrote: »

Its not a good idea to put tomatoes on your compost heap - unless you want tomatoes coming up all over the garden after you use the compost next year! The seeds will remain 'live' and will survive pretty much anything - sewage works have ENORMOUS tomato crops.

I found out this last year in my garden i did not plant any tomatoes but had 2 plants come up and had loads of toms. This year we put the compost in a raised veg bed planted lots of different veg and no toms but have 3 huge tom plants two are the small ones on the vine and one has huge toms on just waiting to turn red. So don't waste your money on buying tom plants just use your homemade compost.

Sorry for the hijack Had to tell people thou.:)

foreign_correspondent

I have tomato plants growing in my garden too - it's not from compost, (they are in a gravelled area) but from me letting the dog eat the odd tomato - the tomato seeds have obviously passed through the dog and been dispersed as nature intended!:rotfl:

balloo_2

A family of three tomatoes were walking down the street one day when the little baby tomato Called cherry started lagging behind. The big father tomato walks back to the baby tomato, stomps on her, squashing her into a red paste, and says, "Ketchup!"

cba321

I have so many tomatoes this year, I don't know what to do them with them, I have given loads away and used loads in cooking and still have loads. Does anyone have any good recipes I could try to use some up, I really don't want to give anymore way, but they keep on coming - help!!

Rosie

cba321 wrote: »

I have so many tomatoes this year, I don't know what to do them with them, I have given loads away and used loads in cooking and still have loads. Does anyone have any good recipes I could try to use some up, I really don't want to give anymore way, but they keep on coming - help!!

Last year I froze lots and used them for pasta sauces, stews and casseroles. I just put them on trays in the freezer and when they were solid packed them in freezer bags. I haven't bought tinned tomatoes for a year now.

Sally_A

Agree with Rosie, I pick what I need, and pop the extras straight into an ice cream tub in the freezer.

A 2 litre tub loosely packed will make more than 500ml of passata if mixed with a bit of stock, herbs, garlic, onions, courgettes etc or whatever you have a glut of, or similarly about a litre plus of tomato based veg soup.

Top tip: Make some passata, but don't touch it until around February, it will let you taste the difference between shop bought and home made.

Lotus-eater

I don't freeze my tomatoes whole, takes up way too much space in the freezer, I cook them down after chopping them up, if I have a load of onions that need using up, I'll stick them in as well and I am trying putting sliced courgettes in as well this year, I will also be trying putting in grated courgettes and perpetual spinach in with them.
Then I freeze them in pots and take one out at a time to lob into whatever I am cooking.

Primrose

cba - Chop them up and cook them down with some sliced onions and a little garlic. When cooled a little, whizz the mixture with a stick bender or a balloon whisk and freeze in convenient portions in bags. You can use them as a base for spag bol, chilli con carne, for pasta sauces, in vegetable soups, and on their own, for making tomato soup with a little water and either grated carrot or grated potato added if you want the soup a little thicker. This puree is very versatile.

Oldbiggles

If you allow the soil to dry out in your tomato bed and then water them again, that is usually the cause of split skins. You must make sure that the soil is kept moist at all times. If they are outdoors, even a steady breeze will dry out the soil quickly, so they need constant watching. Always water in the evening. It’s a waste of time watering anything during the day as the water will evaporate before the plants can get at it.

cba321

I didn't realise that the tomatoes would freeze ok, so have never tried it. Obviously would be no good for salads but great idea to add to sauces. Thanks for the tip! :T