After last year’s experience with half castrated calves I have been a bit hyper vigilant for signs of testosterone in the v-drop boys. Recently V2 has been getting a bit too curly for my liking. Finally got him up to the yards for an inspection and am very relieved that he definitely has zero gonads

Not a tomato.

8.Northern Delight & 9. Kotlas. I’m afraid the character limit here means no tomato reviews. Just photos. You’ll have to find me on one of those evil other platforms for my evaluations. Or just ask, and I’ll copy and past it accross a few comment fields.

7. Black from Tula. I’m afraid the character limit here means no tomato reviews. Just photos. You’ll have to find me on one of those evil other platforms for my evaluations. Or just ask, and I’ll copy and past it accross a few comment fields. Not as nice as the Black Russian though.

6. Black Russian. I’m afraid the character limit here means no tomato reviews. Just photos. You’ll have to find me on one of those evil other platforms for my evaluations. Or just ask, and I’ll copy and past it accross a few comment fields.

A volunteer pumpkin. It’s amazing. None of my pumpkins last year looked anything like this. It’s so pretty. From what I understand these volunteer crosses rarely taste very good. Hopefully it’ll ripen before the frosts start.

… Overall I’ve got better options for early tomatoes and could do a lot better with that plot in the polytunnel.

… it just fades away and fresh it’ll just disappear into the salad. You’d have to keep to fairly tasteless rice crackers and lots of salt and pepper to make a show of it. It did produce fruit fairly early, but the plant has struggled a bit.

5. Purple Russian. Sorry buddy, you’re archived. I was hoping for that nice complex smokey flavour of the black tomatoes in a paste tomato.. but it is just kinda mild, cooked ….

… Cooked it’s rich and can similarly hold it’s own, though potentially remains a touch on the acidic side. It also happens to do very well for me in the poly tunnel so it’s definitely on next year’s playlist.

4. Isle of Capri. Oh my heart.. this is one of my favourites. A cooking one yes, but it works well fresh too. It kinda swaggers into the room and implies it can take a cacciatore sausage out with one hand behind it’s back before the morning coffee...

… have elevated sensitivity too). I was prepared to cull it. But cooked it becomes quite sweet and has a good richness. This is a tomato sauce that will carry a little chilli along for the ride with ease. Next year is a maybe, depends on how it performs the rest of the season.

3. Canestrino di Lucca. First time I’ve grown this one as last year’s planting suffered an early demise I think. A cooking one. Fresh it has a high acidity and that green tomato bush flavour that pervades cheap Cabernet Sauvignon (a compound I must …

…to a San Manzano and sort of envelopes you with a sweetness at the end after small flash of tang. It’s a great one to have fried with egg on toast too. A good one for fresh pasta sauces with zucchini and other milder flavours. Definitely on next year’s playlist

2. Archbishop. I really have an affection for this one. Something about the shape and the fact it rarely produces mutants. Oh, and it consistently does well at my place inside and out of the polytunnel. It’s a cooking tomato, fairly soft in comparison…

Clockwise from top (rightish) Costoluto de Marmande, Gondwana Moon, mouse nibble Gondwana Thunder, 7(!)x 42 Days, Jaune Flamme, a teeny but intact capsicum, 3x Northern Delights, a San Manzano, 2x Blush, and a Cherokee Purple in the middle.

Well the rodent has forced me to harvest a little earlier than I’d like. So clockwise from the top: Rouge de Marmande, Coer du Surpriz, Purple Russian, 2x San Manzano, Alisa Craig, 2x King Humbert, 3x Archbishop, 6x Calmart and 3x Yellow Honeybee.

And the bad news second…. 🤬😭

So the good news first. After two years and about 25 plants, I finally have a ‘vine ripened’ capsicum. Last year was mostly owing to caterpillars chomping the fruit before they were fully sized which caused premature ripening. A lot of caterpillars. This year it’s slugs 🤨 but not as rampant.

floury note and this I really don’t approve of (hence the early demise of Budiah all those years ago now - prolific in hard conditions, but roux-esque). So I’ll cook with it, but next year the seeds can stay in the packet I think.

Kotlas). So I’ll give it points for those. Not a lot of seeds, and when properly ripe a mild but balanced salad tomato flavour (no to acidic with a hint of sweetness). However, with ripening it also develops a …..

Earlinorth. So, this was the first of the early varieties, planted outside to give us a fruit. And they are somewhat larger than the other earlies I have (Calmart, 42 Days, Alisa Craig, Stupice…

Well, that only took 4 years. This beauty has been languishing on the green/museum room since we moved. Only just now have been able to clean it up get it into the loung room.

Clockwise from top, 2x Isle of Capri, a Purple Russian, 4x Earlinorth, a Kotlas and a Stupice, then Jaune Flamme, Coer du Supriz and Yellow Honeybee all in a row, and the last a mystery (but I suspect Alisa Craig). Supposed to be Mary Italian but it seems there was a label mix up, or a dropped seed

Two “Black Russians”, the first “San Manzano”, “Lemon Ice”, some sorry little “Costoluto Fiorentino” from a snapped branch, two more “Purple Russians” , two “Canestrino di Lucca” another “Xanadu Green Goddess” and that Golden King in the middle.

Golden King of Serbia.. luminous. It was the only fruit on the plant (I’ve been pruning distorted/double ones) hope now it’s been unburdened the plant will put out some more flowers.

Impromptu Damson purchase from Harvest & Light (Geeveston) led to impromptu plum ice cream. Delicious! Best $3 I’ve ever spent. Recipe courtesy of Chez Panisse “Desserts” cookbook. Now, what to bake to go with it…

Hopefully it survives the cold spell.