It's that 'tomato' time of year!

JackyB I know someone who is allergic to red tomatoes but can eat orange ones very happily
That's interesting, lixy, thanks

This sunny period should ripen up any green lingerers I hope!

I bought 4 tomato plants this year, and I thought they were all the same but two were salad and one was cherry. Not sure what the other ne was but .ay have been currant as they were very small. Of maybe the trough I grew them in wasn't big enough. Salad tomatoes are very nice though. Shop bought don't seem to have any flavour nowadays.

Enjoyed many cherry tomatoes. Were overwhelmed last week when many turned so made pasta sauce have frozen four portions which we shall enjoy this winter. So much nicer than jars etc

JackyB I know someone who is allergic to red tomatoes but can eat orange ones very happily.

This idea appeared on a Facebook page today. I'm going to give it a go next time I have the oven on for something.

^I cleaned the tomatoes, cut them into halves or quarters depending on their size. Put them on greaseproof paper, sprinkled them with salt, oregano, basil and a bit of garlic salt. Oven on 130C or gas mark 1/2 for 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours or until they look cooked and a bit dried but not burnt. Let them cool. Put into a clean jar with 1 clove garlic and a bay leaf. Then just put olive oil over them. I shall keep them in the fridge but not sure how long they’ll keep. I shall used the oil afterwards for when I make bread to give it a twist.

Just tasted one and yum but reckon be nicer after a week or so. Just been told - take garlic out after a couple of days. Be sure to keep the jars of tomatoes refrigerated^

We had never grown tomatoes because DH is allergic to them but this year a friend gave him three or four plants and now we have loads which I shall have to eat on my own. He was told what types they were, but not being terribly interested, he forgot.

I remember my mother bottling them - she would have about 40-50 Kilner jars on the shelf each year.

I suppose I shall boil them down, strain them and freeze them. I can use strained tomatoes in soups and stews, DH is only allergic to the pips.

foxie48 Black Russian, they don’t look much, but the taste is divine.

I think I'll try Rosella next year, can anyone recommend a really tasty beef tomato? I have grown Marmande it's OK but nothing special taste wise and my experiment with Red Pear is not going to repeated. I love the toms I buy in Spain and Italy, they often don't look much but taste wonderful. Ideas welcome.

We grown tomatoes every year, both small, sweet cherry tomatoes and larger ones.

They taste much better than those bought in the shops, and my DH makes lovely soup.

Had 4 plants this year and have had fruit coming out of my ears. Tomatoes with almost every meal, so fed up of them but at least they're coming to an end now. This must be the only year I haven't fed them or even watered them much and they've been so prolific.

I hadn't come across Rosella before but it looks like a good find. Is it really 'almost seedless' as claimed by Thompson and Morgan?

My tomatoes all have rather firm skins this year so I'm on the lookout for a tasty thin-skinned variety to try next year.

I have 12 varieties in my greenhouse, they were slow to get going but are now very prolific. My favourite is Rosella, a purple/dark red cherry type which is so sweet I’ve often eaten them straight off the plant before they ever get to the house. I grow about 150 plants every year for our village plant sale and any left over I sell to friends and send the proceeds to the local hospice.

My green zebra tomatoes are doing really well.

I haven't planted any tomato plants for 2 years. I have however a very good crop of tomatoes on a plant that has thrived from dropped seeds from a tomato on last year's crop. Last year's was also from a random dropped tomato. The current plant is about 6 feet tall.

I tried the various Crimson Crush tomatoes over the past 5 years or so. I was very disappointed. They grew well enough but didn't have any flavour. We tried each size but the flavour was poor in all of them. this year has been a disaster. I am still waiting for mine to fruit properly we've had about 5 small cherry tomatoes, good flavour but disastrous harvest Worst year ever. Last year was really good but I have forgotten was sort I grew.

I had a massive crop of lovely outdoor tomatoes last year, This year has been terrible. Crimson crush tomatoes are massive and green and now have slug wounds on the biggest. I brought a couple inside to ripen with a banana. They weep because of the damage and the taste of the ripest is not at all nice. I won`t be growing those again

Cocktail crush are a bit smaller and are still green, I brought a few indoors to ripen. I can get locally grown tomatoes for far cheaper than it cost to grow these. In all my years, this has been the worst year ever

Im hoping local folk end up with lots of green tomatoes that they make into green tomato chutney to sell for charity (they did last year).

We didn't plant any this year but seem to have some self-setters, a type of cherry tomato, but I've no idea what they they're called.
They taste good.

The best I've ever tasted were Santini which were sold by M&S. The seed isn't readily available but if you buy some tomatoes you can easily save the seed and grow your own

We bought 8 grafted plants on special offer from Thompson & Morgan - Crimson Crush, Crimson Blush, Crimson Plum and Crimson Cherry. They are blight resistance and we planted them outdoors in a sunny spot. They are absolutely fantastic and very prolific. Other varieties growing in the greenhouse from seed don’t want to ripen and have tough skins that split.

Our green zebra, Roma and Prince Borghese are the best this year. DH makes concasse and freezes it for the year. He also saves seed from heritage varieties that he has kept going for years.

Take all the credit midgey - must be down to your green thumbs and tender loving care. Hope they're tasty!

The plant I bought in a farmers market was supposed to produce tiny fruit…..they are massive! Don’t think that’s down to the weather.

Golden sunrise, Black Opal, Moneymaker, Black Russian (our favourite) and a pale yellow oval one, not sure of the name. All very successful, but we need more sun to ripen the rest off.

I've grown sungold, marmande, crimson crush and a new one to me, red pear which is a heritage variety. Sungold always performs well and is my favourite for flavour, marmande usually does well and has been excellent this year, I grow crimson crush because it's blight resistant but although it crops well I don't think the flavour is that good. Red pear is disappointing, huge pear shaped fruit but too mushy for my taste so I won't bother with that again. I'm rapidly filling the freezer, I just skin the big toms with hot water and pop in freezer bags, the sungold just get washed frozen.