Today’s Harvest Basket, July 25, 2024
2 cucumbers, 2 tomatoes, 2 zucchini
Hard to believe these two tomatoes are the same kind, growing side by side on the same vine.
Today’s basket only contains 6 things. 2 cucumbers, 2 squash, 2 tomatoes. Those two tomatoes are big, and beautiful, weighing in at a combined total of about 2 1/2 pounds.
Gold Medal tomato
Growing wedged together.
There are four Gold Medal tomato plants this year. They are the sweetest tomato I have ever tasted. These two tomatoes were growing together just six inched from the ground and so close to the tomato stake that the fruit grew into and around the medal support.
It was impossible to pick one without the other. Growing just inches from the ground, wedged together, against the tomato stake.
Solanum lycopersicum) Most of the tomatoes weigh in over a half a pound. By thinning the tomatoes, you will get fewer but bigger tomatoes.
The plants are huge and need strong support. Stake early and try to keep them well supported. This big plant will quickly get out of control.
These big one and two-pound tomatoes can easily snap off a tomato vine. The big yellow tomatoes need the sun protection of the foliage. Don’t over prune these big plants.
In fact, one of these four big plants was a broken branch from one of the other three. If that happens to you, try this cloning method: How to make more tomato plants for free
Big, meaty, tomatoes good for fresh eating and tomato sauce.
Originally named Ruby Gold by John Lewis Childs in his 1921 catalog. Ben Quisenberry
renamed it Gold Medal and listed it in his 1976 catalog describing it as “The sweetest tomato you ever tasted. The yellow with streaks of red makes them very attractive and a gourmet’s joy when sliced.”
It’s a beautiful, sweet tomato that is like slicing open a sunrise. Gold medal makes a beautiful salsa, the sweet taste balanced with the heat and spice.
Squash and BLTZ
Keep zucchini under control by picking it every day or every other day. These small, tender zucchini are great sliced length wise and grilled. Salt, pepper, olive oil – a little slice of heaven hot off the grill.
Keep picking them early and cooking them like this and you will never have too many zucchini. Or add the grilled slices to a BLT(Z).
