Not bad for three plants grown in tubs on a balcony in the city.
Plus I learned a new and fabulously easy cooking trick – oven dried tomatoes. I love these tasty little morsels in everything from sauces to salads. And while they’re easy enough to find in your local grocery store, there’s just something special about making your own. Also, I only have so much freezer space. Oven dried tomatoes are a great way to use up the last of the Romas. How thoughtful of the Tribune to carry an article on making them at home – check out the comments for the process (it couldn’t be easier – I did it while I was sleeping).
If you are an outdoor-space challenged city dweller*, I highly recommend the Organic Tomato Success Kit. The initial outlay sounds high at first glance ($70 plus shipping) but you get the self-watering container (key if you don’t want to be watering every day), 40 quarts of potting soil, fertilizer and a tomato cage. All you need are the tomato plants (I got 3 for $12 at the farmer’s market).
Next year, all I will need are the plants, some fertilizer and a 10 quart bag of potting soil - my average cost will drop to about .25 per tomato.
But this cost analysis ignores the intangibles - I’m already way ahead on flavor, convenience and the pleasure of eating from my own garden. I can’t wait for the planting season next year!
*Or if you’re my Father who was unable to grow tomatoes anywhere on his 7 acres of wide-open prairie…
5 comments:
did I miss the link on "how to oven roast tomatoes"? It's not nice to pick on Dad...although very amusing!
Leslie
Good point - here's the recipe:
Oven Dried Tomatoes
From the Chicago Tribune via
Mike Cisternino, Exec Chef at Tavern at the Park
10 ripe plum tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 - 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
1. Heat oven to 160 degrees (mine only goes down to 170 and it was fine)
2. Arrange tomatoes on an oiled baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Drizzle with olive oil.
3. Place in the oven, let dry until slightly shrunken and flavor is concentrated. 10 - 12 hours.
4. Cool. To store, place in a container with olive oil to cover or pack in plastic bags. Store in refrigerator.
Congrats on the success with the tomatoes. So many other people around here had huge failure, myself included.
Do you keep the oven on the whole time?
Yes - the oven stays on the whole time. It's very little heat, just kind of warm.
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