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This week at the farm, we finished planting all of our summer tomatoes and peppers. We are growing a range of varieties, from huge, yellow heirloom tomatoes to fiery orange Habanero peppers. Our choices also include unique tomatoes like striped Green Zebras, Japanese Black Trifeles, sweet Sun Gold cherry tomatoes, and we’re trying our luck with green tomatillos this year. Following Farmer Al’s love for spicy food, we’ve chosen Jalepenos, Cayennes, Ancho peppers and Padrons, the Spanish mystery peppers – most are sweet, but one in ten is very spicy!
The act of planting tomatoes makes me feel like summer is officially on the way. I can imagine the distinct smell of tomato leaves as we harvest the juicy fruits, peering out from under sun hats as we fill the back of Al’s golf cart with totes and totes of colorful tomatoes.
My Dad tells me that every summer in New Jersey, his Italian mother planted her whole backyard with tomatoes and basil. Then she filled her pantry with jars of preserved tomatoes and pesto, in order to get the family through the winter, stuffed every night with homemade meatballs and eggplant drenched in deep red tomato sauce.
At the farm there are over 2,000 tomato and pepper plants already. The seeds are planted in the greenhouse in trays with 48 cells each. In about a month, we will “up-pot” the seedlings into 4-inch pots in order to provide the plants with renewed food and more space for root growth. By April, the seedlings will be ready to be transplanted into the field, each supported by cages and irrigated with drip lines.
Next, we will weed, water, prune and wait until the Frog Hollow tomatoes and peppers arrive. Once the harvest begins, we will commence with the preserving just like my Grandma, making tomato conserva for soups and pizzas at our cafe, sun drying the tomatoes to be stored in our olive soil and experimenting with salsa and hot sauce.
Today the tomatoes stand about one inch tall, just two baby leaves on each. In merely months, they’ll be as tall as me, providing us all with a bounty of beautiful fruits.
