Monday, January 26, 2009

Tomato Sampler from Chicago Roof Farm

Yep, it's 10 degrees in Chicago. I was reminded of last August's tomato exhaustion as I opened a can this week. The photo shows a tomato sampling we had the third week of Aug 2008.

By the time we made this pretty plate with purslane garnish, we were all in the throes of tomato overload--picking madly, cooking sauce to freeze, and eating tomatoes morning, noon, and night.

But what a harvest from the roof farm.

Clockwise from high noon:
--Hillbilly (Victory Seeds/VS)
--Abe Lincoln (VS)
--Cherokee Purple (Seed Savers)
--Black Cherry (VS)
--Yellow Brandywine (VS)
--Caspian Pink (VS)

And we can't wait to do it all over again. Seed selection for the 2009 growing season begins in the next few weeks. We're partial to heirlooms. If you've got a favorite, let us know.

5 comments:

Bruce said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bruce said...

I screwed up the links in the first comment......

For me the clear winner was the Black Cherry. Great taste and early fruit/long harvest from healthy, hardy plants.

Yellow Brandywine was solid. Caspian Pink had mold/fungus. Abe Lincoln and Hillbilly weren't that tasty.

This year, in addition to Victory Seeds and Seed Savers, I'm going to look at Seeds from Italy and Fedco for some more ideas on what to grow.

H2 said...

Oddly, since our roof farm is just 5 blocks from yours, we had a different outcome.

The Caspian Pink was the early producer and delectable. I liked the Hillbilly for sauce and agree the Black Cherry was sweet.

Think I'm done with brandywine--maybe our buckets don't support them as well as your tubs. But my heart belongs to Cherkokee Purple!

Chance said...

I just came across your blog and I want to say thank you for posting all these great posts, I am so inspired. I'll be working on some of your blog-inspired projects getting ready for spring. @H2: Nothing beats Cherokee Purples, sublime.

H2 said...

Chance the Cherokee-lover:
We're glad you found us. Write back and let us know how your projects come along.