Garden 2013 — First Tomatoes Of The Year

Biggest First Batch EVER!

This year our first batch of tomatoes was close to a full pint of assorted tomatoes.

Sweet, Richly Flavored & Delicious

The bright orange cherry tomato is a perfectly ripe Sun Gold.  (The yellowy-orange cherry to the left is a barely ripe Sun Gold.)  There was a world of difference between the two when it came flavor.

The Sun Gold cherry tomatoes are already the clear favorite for us.    With a gorgeous deep dark orange gold color and a super sweet taste, these were some incredible tomatoes.  The Tami G’s look like miniature Juliets.  Just as sweet as the Juliet, they were another early favorite.  But, we still prefer the Juliet.  There’s just no beating them for depth of flavor, sweetness and size (small plum size, but, oodles more flavor than most plums).

Black Krim

Two More Black Krims

The Black Krims are absolutely thriving with all of the rain.  Each plant has 3-6 BIG (and gorgeous) tomatoes.  All of the tomato plants seem to be growing very well.  And, they’re dripping with buds.  Even with all of the destructive chipmunk activity, we’ve been lucky for the most part.  The yellow pear tomatoes are the one exception.  They’re proving to be the most temperamental and difficult this year.  They don’t seem to appreciate the heavy rains.  All three yellow pear tomatoes are yellowing, wilty and struggling to survive.  They’re also not that noteworthy in the flavor category.  They’re more than a little bit bland and boring.  And, when they over-ripen, they have an unpleasant mushy-mealy texture.  I doubt we’ll ever plant them again.

Tomato Topped Baked Buttered Pasta
1 baking dish

1 lb mezza penne, cooked al dente, and drained
1/2 cup pasta water, reserved
4-5 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
fine sea salt
assorted cherry and plum tomatoes, halved

Parmigiano Reggiano, slivers

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

After straining the pasta, return to the stock pot.  Toss with pasta water, butter, black pepper nutmeg and sea salt.  Pour into buttered baking dish that’s pretty enough for serving.  Scatter halved tomatoes over the top.  Bake at 425 degrees F for 35-45 min.  Edges of pasta should be golden brown at the edges.  Shave parmigiano slivers over the top.  Serve in baking dish with grilled bread on the side.