Potholders

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Tomatoes Are Tasty

Rutgers' Research Farm is only a few miles from where we live, and last week we went to their annual Open House and Tomato Tasting. I've been to the farm before, but I hadn't attended the tomato tasting, so I didn't fully appreciate what a wonderful place it is. (There was a lot to see so this is a picture-heavy post.)


We walked through several fields of sunflowers to find more than 50 varieties of tomatoes ready for our tasting pleasure. 





There were tents with small, medium, large, and cherry tomatoes. Some were more acidic than others, and a few bordered on bitterness. To be honest, after tasting more than 50 varieties, all I could really say was they tasted like tomatoes. There weren't any that really stood out for me that I thought we had to grow next year, but it was incredibly interesting that there are so many varieties with such great names. 

But it wasn't all tomatoes; the farm also grows fruit trees. There were peaches, apples, and even beach plums to taste. 




Pristine is a wonderful apple that tastes almost like a cross between an apple and a pear. I would plant a few of these trees if I could find them. 

There was a monarch lady there that we talked to for quite a while. She had caterpillars busily munching away on their milkweed leaves and also chrysalises. She was very enthusiastic and offered some hope for the future of monarch butterflies. 



It was 97 degrees and everyone was sweating profusely, so it was a bit of relief to hop in a wagon and go for a tractor ride around the 390 acres. I had a better idea of all the volunteers, employees, and students that it takes to manage the farm. 





There were pollinator gardens and I also learned that what I had thought was some sort of sedum was actually Joe Pye weed. 


Joe Pye weed , not sedum


And in case all this wasn't enough, there was also basil tasting. Rutgers has developed a regular basil variety that is downy mildew resistant (DMR), and they are working on breeding lemon and Thai basils that are also resistant. They had prepared giant pans of orzo with three lemon varieties and three Thai varieties. They asked all of the attendees to evaluate the taste and aroma of the six different test varieties so they could better evaluate the plants and their commercial viability. It doesn't do much good to have a basil that is resistant to downy mildew if it doesn't also taste good! We each got to bring home a regular Prospera DMR basil plant that is already available commercially.


I'll think of the great time I had at the tomato tasting when I'm using my basil in spaghetti sauce this winter!

12 comments:

  1. That's a lot of tomatoes! I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to taste the difference, but it sounds like a fun experience. Have you ever tried an Asian pear? I have no idea how it compares to the Pristine apple, but to me they taste like you described.

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  2. Oh Bonny!! My mouth is just watering over all the delights in this post! What a fun way to spend a day! I am also fascinated with DMR Basil! I hope they find success with DMR Lemon Basil... I love that basil so much, but I have had little success because of that mildew.

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  3. That sounds like a great day!! Fun AND tasty! LOL. I do imagine that after tasting so many different varieties it would be hard to pick a favorite or two. I agree with Sarah on the Asian Pear bit. We do have an Asian Pear that we are growing...but so far no fruit. Mailing's company has an Asian Pear orchard!

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  4. Oh, what a COOL event! Our local Master Gardeners used to host something called the Tomato Taste-Off, which was supposed to be a fundraising event, but really didn't raise any funds. People entered their own tomatoes for a taste-off, and there was a lot of (ahem) posturing about it all. I think I'd enjoy YOUR event much more! It's kind of exciting to get in on the ground floor with new varieties! And I just love the names! It's impressive to see all that work come together. Thanks for sharing your adventure!

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  5. That sounded like a lot of fun. Do they run the Rutgers garden center out on 202?

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  6. What fun! I need to get some herbs to put in the window sill for the winter. I love Asian pears and apples, so I will have to look for some Pristine apples. I like tomatoes that are less acidic, but not bland. Am I picky much? LOL

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  7. Oh, wow, that sounds like such a fun day!! I'd love a tomato tasting event!

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  8. This sounds really awesome! And I'd love to have a DMR resistant basil plant, too.

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  9. How fascinating! I've always wondered what all those different varieties of tomatoes taste like. Now I know-tomatoes! There is nothing like a warm one right off the vine. I could live on tomato sandwiches.

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    1. There were a few that were a little bland and lackluster, but for the most part, they all just tasted like pretty good tomatoes!

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  10. That looks like so much fun until I read how hot it was, I would have died. My sister just gave me some homegrown tomatoes and they are delicious.

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  11. Wow. What a day! That looks like a wonderful place to visit on a tasting day. Research is so interesting. Every scientist finds a different niche. I wonder if certain tomato varieties do better in different locations. Also, I've never heard of a beach plum, probably due to my being brought up and living in the center of the country.

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