The Determinant Tomato

The terms determinant and indeterminant after the description of a tomato are confusing to most novice gardeners. After all we may have only seen that word, determinant, in math class when we studied matrices. Most of us will have forgotten what a matrix is and a determinant was found by a formula we briefly memorized and never again used. But the word is important to remember in tomato varieties.  A determinant tomato plant has a different growing habit that can be beneficial in our garden. First, it is usually a smaller plant. When the plant starts producing flowers, it stops growing and focuses on producing fruit. It also does not need pruning. These are great attributes for smaller gardens or tomatoes grown in a pot. The fruit all matures within a couple os weeks. This is great for canning or making sauce or anyone who will be leaving at the end of the summer! One of the most popular determinant tomatoes is Celebrity. Another is Rutgers

Spring Plant Sale

    Mother's Day is fast approaching and COMSOG is prepared with many hanging baskets and other surprises for the garden.   There are petunias and fushias ready to hang or geraniums, gazanias, and portulaca  to put in pots or the flower beds.  Gazania is especially carefree and suited to the soil on Martha's Vineyard.


But don't forget the vegetable gardens.  Comsog is known for  their many heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants.  Cherokee purple is my new favorite tomato. Very dense and sweet, its shape is like a beefsteak tomato.


Come and see the Greenhouse, enjoy the colors and the fresh lettuce but don't forget Mom!

Spring Awakening

The Greenhouse is awakening after a warm, quiet winter.  The volunteers are busy and the greenhouse is full of color.  Many tomato plants have been started, as well as herbs and flowers.
"Soup on Wednesday" at the planting parties has been a great hit.  And we have also had many cakes and salads.  Plenty of fresh lettuce at Comsog!!

The Eggplant Soup  from Alba had rave reviews.

ROASTED EGGPLANT SOUP (Bon Appetit)

3 medium tomatoes, halved

1 large eggplant (1.5 lbs) halved lengthwise

1 small onion, halved

6 large cloves garlic, peeled

2 tblsp olive oil

2 tblsp fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried (maybe more)

4 cups (or more) chicken broth

I cup whipping cream (optional but good)

 

Preheat oven to 400.

Place Tomatoes, eggplant, onion and garlic on large baking sheet.

Brush veggies with oil.  Roast until tender and brown in spots (about 45 min.)

Scoop eggplant from skin into heavy large saucepan: discard skin

Add remaining roasted veggies and thyme to saucepan.

Add chicken broth and boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook until onion is very tender—about 45 min. Cool slightly.

In batches, puree in blender until smooth. Season with additional salt and pepper and thyme if needed.

Return to saucepan and stir in cream if you decide to use it. You can use less cream than is called for.   Simmer and thin with more stock if desired.  Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with a round of goat cheese on top.

 

Many varieties of eggplant have been started.  My favorite is Bambino, a small eggplant good for grilling and stir frying. 

Speaking of soup, now is a good time to make kale soup.  There is still plenty of kale at the greenhouse. 

There is also plenty of swiss chard.  Why not try Thalia's suggestions and use the large leaves to stuff like grape leaves.  I had steamed chard in my scambled eggs the other day.  Delish!

Holidays at Comsog

Many busy hands made some beautiful wreaths today at the first annual Holiday Greens Party at Comsog.  Don't forget that tomorrow is the Holiday Party at Thalia's House.  Bring a dish to share and a small gift for a Yankee Swap.  Thanks to Muriel for baking a lemon cake and welcome to a new member, Abby.  Chris shared his expertise  in artistic design and suggested gold painted trumpet pods and dogwood spray painted white.  There are still greens at the greenhouse if anyone missed the event and still would like to make a wreath.

Our new manager Chris Legge.

Harvesting Greens

My old blender has been getting a work out!  I attended a Raw Food Yoga Retreat at Sunny Slope Farm in Alton, NH with Fae Kontje-Gibbs and Stacy Stowers.  I have been harvesting the mustard greens and miners lettuce.  I have been using the idea of Stacy's Happy Shake to make my own variations and they have all been good.  Today, I had miner's lettuce with 1 tomatillo, 1/2 a pear, 1/2 a banana and raspberries, vitagreen powder and maca powder.  Miner's lettuce is one of the few salad greens that is indigenous to North America.  It grows in cold weather and is perfect for a cold frame.  I've also been using mizuna in savory shakes with tomato.  The greenhouse has both of these nutritious greens for the picking.

Stacy and Jill at Sunny Slope Farm with Jill's first Happy Shake

I have also been making another specialty of Stacy's , Winter Squash Soup.  This soup is not raw, but it is heart warming and very nutritious.  But the best part is that is is very easy.  Yes, easy!!  My husband loves this soup and it has no meat.  Just cut up the squash skin included but no seeds.  Put it in a soup pot with an onion, and cover with water.  Cook until tender.  Now the fun part, you can throw in broccoli stalks, and other vegetable trimmings.  You can throwing in seasonings like a little hot pepper, pumpkin pie spice, or cutting celery.  I put in a dried Jimmy Nardello Pepper, parsley, and some cutting celery in this batch. (There is cutting celery in the back garden.) Then put in 1/3 cup of nutritional yeast.  You can buy this in bulk at Cronigs, so try a little.  I admit I was sceptical, but now I am a believer.  Nutritional yeast is a great addition to the diet of vegetarians as it is high in protein and B vitamins.  Reliable Market has had winter squash at a great price, including kabocha and buttercup.
The last step in this amazing soup is to blend it with an imersion blender.  I love my new toy.  It came from Le Roux and was the same price online with no shipping. 
So get to the greenhouse, enjoy the sun and warmth and pick up some greens for salads, stirfries, and maybe a smoothie!

A New Top!

We will miss you Chuck!

The greenhouse is getting a new film covering.  This will allow a lot more light to reach the plants and help productivity.  A crew is meeting this Saturday at 8:30.  If you can come help, bring cordless power tools and staplers.  There will be chili and soup as well as other goodies. 
There are many things growing at the greenhouse.  Lettuce, mustard greens, spinach, pak choi, kale, arugula, broccoli raab, and swiss chard are all in the beds.  We have had a difficult time getting the seedlings going because we have a mouse! or two!  The mouse is digging up the seeds we have planted and replacing them with melon seeds.  If only we could train it!  We are using plastic covers to help protect the seedlings. 
We have been picking the baby arugula and mizuna and the lettuce will soon need thinning.
We have a new manager, Chris and he has been working with us Wednesday and Thursday mornings between 9 and 12 AM.  We have had a steady crew of workers over the last two months.

Getting Ready for Fall

This has been a difficult summer for white fly.  Despite this there have been a lot of tomatoes, cukes, peppers (especially hot peppers) and melons.  There is basil for the picking for anyone who likes to make pesto.  we are working on cleaning up the greenhouse for fall planting.  Betsy planted some kale but unfortunately the white cabbage butterfly found them an attractive place to lay eggs!  Now they are chewed to stubs.  We will try starting them outside under reemay.  We are collecting ideas for Living Local Harvest Festival which is taking place very soon.  Talk to Betsy if you can help or have ideas.