Consumer Q&A: Toe-may-toe, Toh-mah-toh

Q: I have tomatoes coming out my ears. What can I do with them? I’m not much of a cook, and it’s too hot to cook anyway. I’m not going to can them. Any suggestions besides sandwiches?

A: Share with friends and neighbors or people at your workplace, church, gym or social clubs. Some people never had the pleasure of eating a true homegrown tomato. Also check with your local food bank. The people may be thrilled to get something fresh rather than canned or processed items. 

If you are tired of the traditional sandwich of tomato and mayonnaise or of the BLT, try a TVO (tomato-Vidalia Onion) or slip slices of tomato into pimento cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Why should only hamburgers be honored with tomatoes? Sprinkle diced tomatoes on your hot dog, too. Freshen a storebought or delivery pizza with thin slices of tomatoes.

Tomatoes go well with eggs at breakfast, and halved cherry tomatoes or chopped tomatoes can be used as a topping for grits. Try a slice of tomato on buttered toast.

Drizzle sliced tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and serve with hunks of mozzarella. Stuff cherry tomatoes with pesto.

For extra tomato flavor throughout your salads, blend finely chopped or pureed tomato into your oil and vinegar dressing. You don’t need leafy greens to have a salad; consider a simple salad of tomatoes and cucumbers with vinaigrette. Combine chopped tomatoes and cubed avocado and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Mix tomato wedges or halved cherry tomatoes with slices of peaches and mangoes and slivers of onion. Add a little goat cheese and drizzle with a extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar or vinaigrette and some salt and pepper.

Gazpacho – this summer soup requires no cooking and is a cool and savory combination of tomatoes, tomato juice, garlic, onion and bell peppers. You can also puree some tomatoes and freeze them for making soup in the winter when hot soups (and the heat from cooking them) will be welcomed.

And don’t forget bruschetta and fresh salsa.

We’re too hungry to make any more suggestions…

Q: A friend shared a huge, pinkish red (and delicious!) tomato with me he called ‘Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter.’ Can you tell me more about this tomato? I want to find more or grow some of my own next year.

A: ‘Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter’, or sometimes simply ‘Mortgage Lifter’, was developed by M.C. Byles in the early 1930s in Logan, WV.

Mr. Byles, affectionately known as "Radiator Charlie,” a nickname he received from the radiator repair business he opened at the foot of a steep hill on which trucks would often overheat, created this now-legendary tomato by cross-breeding four of the largest-fruited tomatoes he could find: 'German Johnson', 'Beefsteak', an Italian variety and an English variety. One of the four varieties was planted in the middle of a circle. Using a baby's ear syringe, he cross-pollinated the center plant with pollen from the circle of tomatoes. The pollination and selection process was repeated six more years until he had a stable variety. After Byles developed this large, tasty tomato, he sold plants for $1 each (in the 1940s) and paid off the $6,000 mortgage on his house in six years. Each spring, gardeners drove as far as 200 miles to buy his seedling tomatoes.

In the 1980s Byles donated seeds to Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, a company specializing in preserving old vegetable varieties. ‘Radiator Charlie’s Mortage Lifter’ is still carried by that company and others as well. The variety gained popularity for its large size, flavor and meatiness. You may find this variety for sale now at farmers markets. If you want to grow your own from seed next year, don’t delay ordering because seed companies may sell out of this popular variety. 

‘Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter’ is a tomato with great flavor and a great story to match!

Q: I have heard of tomato varieties from Russia that are cold tolerant. Is this true? Where can I find some? I would love to grow tomatoes in my garden in the winter. 

A: “Cold tolerant” means that a tomato variety tolerates colder temperatures than the average tomato variety. It does not mean that it will grow outdoors in winter. Selecting cold-tolerant varieties may allow you to plant a little earlier in the spring than you would with standard varieties. They are also good for cooler areas like the Pacific Northwest.  

In the past few years, tomato varieties originating in Siberia and other parts of Russia and the former Soviet republics have come on the market. They are available from various seed catalogs such as Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Burpee, TomatoFest, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. However, having “Russian” in its name does not automatically indicate that a variety will be cold tolerant or less tolerant of heat, and there are plenty of non-Russian varieties that are cold tolerant. 

Q: Seed catalogs label some tomato varieties as determinate. What does that mean?

A: Determinate varieties of tomatoes are more compact than indeterminate varieties. They “top out” (stop growing taller) when fruit sets on the terminal or top bud. They ripen all their tomatoes at or near the same time, usually over a few weeks.

Indeterminate varieties of tomatoes are also called "vining" tomatoes. They will grow and produce fruit until killed by frost in the fall and can reach heights of up to 10 feet although six feet is more common. They will bloom and set fruit throughout the growing season.

Consumer Q&A: Produce Questions

Q: What causes catfaced tomatoes?

A: Catfaced tomatoes are malformed with leathery scars, bulges or cavities at the blossom end of the fruit. These cavities can extend deep into the flesh. The condition gets its name because the fruit can look like a cat's face.

The causes of catface are not definitely known. Cold temperatures during blooming or fruit set  may be responsible. Catfacing is more common on the fruit formed first on  large-fruited tomato varieties. Some varieties are particularly prone to catface and should be avoided if this has been a problem in the past. The condition does not affect the flavor of the tomato.

Q: What causes my cucumbers to be sheepnosed and shaped like gourds?

A: Improper pollination due to lack of insects or adverse weather conditions can cause misshapen cucumbers and melons. Lots of rain and cool temperatures can hamper the activity of pollinating insects. High temperatures can also kill pollen. Lack of moisture during development can also misshape fruit.

If you are applying any insecticides, make sure you are applying them properly and not killing the bees and other pollinating insects. We need these insect allies for all our flowering crops!

Q: What batter is best for frying squash? Can pattypan squash be fried like yellow squash?

A: Pattypan or scalloped squash can be sliced and fried. There is no best batter or best way to fry squash. They are easy to fry and the results are almost always tasty.

To coat the squash before frying, some people slice it and dredge it in flour, corn meal or a mixture of both. Some dip the slices in buttermilk or sweet milk before dredging. Some make a batter of flour with milk, buttermilk or beer and coat the slices with it. They may then dredge the coated slices with flour or corn meal. Some mix an egg diluted with two tablespoons of water, coat the slices and dredge in flour, corn meal or fine bread crumbs. Some use rice flour instead of wheat flour.

After squash slices are coated, heat a half-inch of cooking oil in a heavy skillet. When the oil is hot, start dropping the coated squash slices into the oil, one at a time so they don't stick together. Remove them from the oil when they are golden brown and let them drain onto paper towels. Serve them warm with salt and pepper.

Got a question? Visit our website, write to us at 19 MLK Jr. Drive, Room 128, Atlanta, GA 30334, or email arty.schronce@agr.georgia.gov.

Consumer Q&A: A Compilation of Fruit Questions

Q: Why are tomato plants called vines? What exactly is a "vine-ripened" tomato?

A: Tomato plants don't twine as morning glories or pole beans do. They do not cling with rootlets the way Boston or English ivy do. They do not attach themselves with tendrils the way grape or cucumber vines do. However, because of the loose, sprawling habit that cause some varieties to need staking or trellising, tomato plants are sometimes called vines.

A true vine-ripened tomato is a tomato that is allowed to grow and mature on the vine and is not picked until it is actually ripe. A tomato that has been allowed to ripen on the vine is sweeter and juicier than one that is picked while it is still green and ripened off the vine. Some tomatoes you see at the supermarket are picked green or nearly green, and gassed with ethylene to ripen them.

One note of caution, there are some sellers who will call a tomato "vine-ripened" if it is picked when showing any redness or color other than green. A true vine-ripened tomato is less suitable for shipping because of its susceptibility to bruising and shorter shelf life. You are most likely to get a true vine-ripened tomato by growing the crop yourself, or buying directly from a farm or farmers market.

Q: Is there a place in Georgia that offers witch finger grapes?

A: With curiously tapered fruits, witch finger grapes look like a grape version of a ristra of purple chili peppers. These table grapes are beginning to appear in some supermarkets. All of them that we have seen in stores were grown in California. We do not know of any farmers in Georgia growing the fruits or nurseries producing the plants to sell.


Q: I heard a fig can have a regular crop and a breba crop. What is a breba crop?
 
A: Figs can bear two crops a year. The early crop is called the breba crop. It is borne on the old wood and ripens in early summer. The regular crop is borne on new wood and ripens later in the summer.

Q: I saw a strange item called "dragon fruit" at the grocery store. What exactly is it? How do you eat it? Can we grow this in Georgia?

A: Dragon fruit, sometimes called "pitaya," is a fruit that grows on several tropical cactus species. Dragon fruits are often red, pink or fuchsia on the outside with white flesh on the inside and small, edible black seeds. Some dragon fruits have yellow skin or red flesh. It has a very striking appearance inside and out.

The fruits have a mild, sweet taste. They can be sliced in two and the flesh scooped out and eaten with a spoon. You can also peel them and cube the flesh to use in fruit salads or as an addition to green salads of spinach, mache or microgreens along with avocadoes and Georgia pecans. In fruit salads, it blends well with pomegranate, blueberry and oriental persimmon. Slices of dragon fruit are an attractive garnish on a plate of chicken salad. The flesh is also used in juices, teas, sorbets, smoothies and shakes.

Dragon fruits are grown commercially in Central and South America, south Florida, south Asia and Australia. They cannot be grown in Georgia except in a greenhouse, which protects them from freezing temperatures.

Got a question? Visit our website, write to us at 19 MLK Jr. Drive, Room 128, Atlanta, GA 30334, or email arty.schronce@agr.georgia.gov.

Consumer Q&A: Tomatoes and Peppers

Q: What kind of tomato does the commercial grower plant?

Customers shop for tomatoes at the Georgia Grown Farmer
Showcase on July 27

A: There isn't one specific variety that commercial growers plant. It depends on whether the tomatoes are being produced for the fresh market or for processing, what type of tomato is desire and whether the tomatoes will be grown inside a greenhouse or a field. Growers will also make selections based on the disease resistance and avoid varieties that may be susceptible to pathogens that have been problems in the past. They will also select varieties that are known to perform best in the soil and climate where they are to be grown.

Commercial growers may plant some varieties that are familiar to home gardeners. They may also grow varieties developed for commercial growers and with less-than-catchy names, such as BHN 444, Florida 47 R and BHN 410.

There are several publications that can help answer this question, too. Commercial Tomato Production Handbook can be found online or at County Extension Service offices. Commercial Production of Staked Tomatoes in the Southeast is a combined effort of horticulturalists and plant scientists from North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. It's available online as well.

Q: Can I put some of my Black Russian and Cherokee Purple tomatoes along with my red tomatoes when I am cooking tomato soup? I like the flavor and juiciness of these dark tomatoes. Will they change the color of the soup? I don't know if my family will accept a soup that is not the traditional red.

A: Most of the Black Russian and Cherokee Purple tomatoes we grow end up sliced on sandwiches or are eaten fresh with sweet corn, cucumbers, cantaloupes and other summer vegetables. However, we have added up to about 10 percent of these darker varieties with the more common standard red varieties when cooking soup and have not noticed any difference in the soup's color. We have not tried a higher percentage because we didn't have enough to use more.

One caveat about using a large percentage of very juicy tomatoes such as these two in soups, and especially in sauces, is the increased cooking time to achieve the desired thickness. The end color being darker or not as bright may be minor compared to extra time in the kitchen and a higher utility bill for cooking the soup and cooling the house.

If you have plenty of the darker varieties, or yellow or orange tomatoes for that matter, experiment using only them to make soup. It may be different than the standard red and may look a little unusual at first, but it will probably taste just as good as soup made with standard red tomatoes.

Q: I have a bushel of Roma tomatoes I want to use to make soup. I feel like I lose too much of the meat when I peel them with a knife. Someone said I could use boiling water to peel them, but I don't know exactly how to do this. Can you help?

A: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the tomatoes two at a time in the pot for 11 seconds. Remove them with a slotted spoon or strainer and drop them immediately into a large pot or bowl of ice water. When the tomatoes cool, it will be easy to peel away the skin without removing the underlying flesh.

Depending on the size and type of tomatoes, you may have to vary the boiling time. However, the main thing to remember is that you do not wish to cook the tomatoes in the boiling water.

Q: Do all bell peppers start out green?

A variety of Georgia-grown peppers at a 2012 Georgia Grown
Farmer Showcase

A: Yes. Depending on the variety of the bell pepper, it will turn out red, orange, yellow, chocolate, purple or ivory as it ripens. Hot peppers also start out green.

Ripe peppers have a different, usually sweeter and less pungent flavor than the green ones. Ripe peppers are usually more expensive than green ones because the farmer has to invest more time in growing them.

Got a question? Visit our website, write to us at 19 MLK Jr. Drive, Room 128, Atlanta, GA 30334, or email arty.schronce@agr.georgia.gov.