u/karstopography

I guess we never before got these fried green tomatoes quite right, but tonight was the night. Oh my goodness, these were beyond amazing. My wife followed Pioneer Woman’s recipe. Tomatoes used were that green Marianna’s Peace top row third one from the right and then a green Pruden’s Purple I picked just before game time.

Anyway, crunchy, savory, sweet, melty, creamy, tangy, yummy are adjectives that apply.

Glad the tomato season is about done and what a way to go out.

Super delicious. Recipe is one 559 gram Pruden’s Purple tomato plus a couple of dinky Marianna’s Peace. Chop them coarse. Salt and drain and blot repeatedly. Something like 4-5 cups of tomatoes total, very well drained. Frozen pie shell baked at 400° for 15 minutes. In go the tomatoes into the baked pie shell, then about 1/4 cup chiffonade of fresh basil mixed in. Over that goes 1 cup of sharp cheddar, one cup mozzarella, and 3/4 cup mayo mixed together. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Easy and delicious way to enjoy garden tomatoes.

Is Huevos de Toro, this one well over 600 grams. I look forward to these tomatoes specifically for making pico de gallo. Huevos de Toro tomatoes are so fragrant and meaty. Used garden grown Slo Bolt cilantro and a garden grown Southern Belle red onion. Had to buy the jalapeño as my own weren’t quite ready. We crushed the pico de gallo with blue corn tortilla chips, all before dinner, not a drop of that juice remained.

Next ripe Huevos de Toro tomato I might make a pipirrana salad. Huevos de Toro are my late tomatoes and always the last to ripen generally ten days after Brandywine. The wait is worth it.

Instead of eating these as a gratin, I generally let them bloom. I direct seed Cardoon in October or November and they will generally bloom by May. Hardy to around 20°. P.S. they, the blanched stalks early in the spring, are delicious as a gratin.

First time growing Abraham Brown and this 24 ounce tomato was the first tomato off my one A.B. plant to ripen, about 80 days after transplanting.

Based on this single fruit, Abraham Brown is a must grow for 2027. Hard to describe all the flavors, but there’s an initial very sweet taste that blends into a deep savory, almost beefy or rich beef broth kind of flavor. Anyway, whatever the flavor, I love it.

The plant itself, with the largest potato leaves I have ever seen on a tomato plant, is very healthy and has set a lot of fruit.

Way, way better than my Black Krim are this year, there’s no contest. Abraham Brown is of the best tomatoes I have ever tasted. Can’t wait for the next one.

Maybe two of my favorite fragrances, the scent of a Magnolia Grandiflora blossom and then that of bacon frying! Mark Twain tomato featured.

I generally give away my excess green beans, but today decided to blanch some for vacuum sealing to freeze for later use.

Bonus caprese salad with a Pruden’s Purple tomato and Corsican Basil.

The “early” lineup. Rebel Yell, Pruden’s Purple, Black Krim, Mark Twain, Abraham Brown, and Polish shown. Abraham Brown is the big 24 ounce brown tomato in the middle. Pruden’s Purple are the three pinks on the lower left. Rebel Yell are the other pink ones except for the one little Polish at the back left.

Still waiting on Brandywine, Marianna’s Peace, and Huevos De Toro.

Only consumed a few so far, Black Krim, Rebel Yell, and Pruden’s Purple. Pruden’s Purple remains the favorite. Still two or three weeks away from peak tomato season.

Seeds started January 5th. I’m using February 27th as the transplant date.

29.5” 10# Texas Marsh Redfish fell for this Steve Farrar blend baitfish pattern this afternoon. I spotted the redfish crashing small shad along a shoreline from about 100 yards away. This fly was about the best match to the hatch in my box, although, maybe 50% larger than the actual forage.

Not in a long time have I had a redfish this amped up. I constantly felt overmatched by this particular redfish and it seemed to always be one or two moves ahead of me. Definitely not a routine or average redfish.