It's cold and grey and very very December. My garden is very dead except for 2 parsley plants that have managed to stay green and 3 pepper plants that are riding out the winter in the garage. By the time of the first frost I'm kind of done with the garden maintenance. I'm tired of checking for pests and making sure everything's properly watered but not too wet. I'm definitely ready to do something else. But come December I'm already looking forward to that first taste of a fresh tomato which is so much better than anything you can find at the grocery store. I love all the varieties of tomatoes and always pick at least 2 or 3 new different types to try. I was so excited when I came across Epic Tomatoes: How to Select and Grow the Best Varieties of All Time by Craig LeHoullier on NetGalley that I couldn't resist it.
Everything you ever wanted to know about tomatoes is in this book. Their history, the different shades and types, the different flavors, and everything else you can think of. Their charts and illustrations and lots and lots of pictures. I loved that tomatoes pictured weren't flawless as so often the case in seed magazines. There are some flaws or cracking on the tomatoes and the shapes aren't perfect but they're so colorful and summery looking that I want a BLT sandwich right away with the tomato still warm from the sun.
This would be a great book for anyone who is just starting out with gardening or even for a more intermediate gardener like me. It focuses on tomatoes in a way I haven't come across before. I think it will be a really useful guide for everything from selecting the varieties, choosing the plants themselves and keeping them growing and healthy enough to have a great harvest. I'm looking forward to be getting a print copy and flipping through this one. I can't wait to start making my list of tomato varieties for next year!
I'll have my old favorites - Black Cherry, Golden Jubilees, Mortgage Lifters and Celebrity but I may have to add in a few new ones as well. I know I'll be keeping an eye out for Cherokee Purples, Golden Queen, Abraham Lincoln and a few others. If you like to garden and love freshly picked tomatoes this book is like a little taste of summer!
You sold me on this book, I am most definitely buying it. Tomatoes are the #1 thing I want from a garden and I'm missing them now.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't do great with our garden this year but are hoping for a bumper crop in 5 months!
Tomatoes are what I want from a garden too. My sister has great luck with her tomatoes, if the hail and heavy rain don't ruin them. She and a friend have a Tomato Fest near the peak of the season, when they cook a meal together and all dishes are tomato. Tomato salad, tomato and pasta and tomato pie.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great title for a book! Thanks for the great review. The book sounds awesome!
ReplyDeleteI'm already waiting for fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes (long wait, I know) and really NEED this book!
ReplyDeleteOh I need a gardening boost with all this snow and cold weather. And nothing is better than sun-warmed, right-from-the-vine tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting book. Makes me wish spring was already here.
ReplyDeleteOh yum - I LOVE fresh grown tomatoes and, you're right, they are totally different than what you can get in the store! I have a black thumb, so probably won't be growing my own, but love to eat other people's! One of my favorite sandwiches is the "Simple Tomato Sandwich"...mayo, garden fresh tomatoes, and S&P on lightly toasted white bread (preferably freshly baked). This sandwich place in Wainscott, NY (Breadzilla) used to make the best ones and they were only on the menu when the NJ tomatoes were in season. Enjoy all your new varieties!
ReplyDeleteI am hoping to have a garden this next summer and love the idea of this book. I love growing tomatoes and have not done it in years!
ReplyDeleteOh love tomatoes. They're one of the few things I can actually grow. lol Sounds like a good book to have!
ReplyDeleteI've only grown tomatoes once - cherry tomatoes and I ended up with a glut! Merry Christmas from Carole's Chatter
ReplyDeleteThis sounds cool. I use to grow them in the yard, but in recent years have started growing them in pots on our back deck.
ReplyDeleteI usually buy my heirloom tomatoes at the farmer's market. I would love to try my hand at growing my own. Seems like this books would be a great resource.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait until I live somewhere I can garden - I'll have tomatoes out the wazoo!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review and happy holidays :)