Favorite Garden Vegetables, Part 4 - Small Tomatoes
Did you know that there are thousands of varieties of tomatoes? It doesn’t seem possible, but it’s true. There are almost limitless colors, sizes, shapes, textures and flavors when it comes to tomatoes. No wonder it is America’s vegetable garden favorite.
There’s bound to be one that suits your taste among the many thousands to consider. Thankfully, you don’t need to try them all to find the best. I have some suggestions for you.
A native of South America, let’s take a close look at a few of my favorite small tomato varieties. Once you try them, I think they will earn their place as some of your favorite varieties of this delicious fruit that we prefer to think of as a vegetable.
If you like small red tomatoes, you’ll enjoy Super Sweet 100 and Juliette.
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Super Sweet 100 is a true cherry tomato. It makes small red round tomatoes that are wonderfully sweet and flavorful, and have plenty of juice beneath their thin skin. They grow abundantly in large clusters that are similar to grapes.
Although it’s an indeterminate plant, the Super Sweet 100 seems to enjoy a more compact habit of about 5 to 6 feet tall. A large tomato cage or tall stake should be sufficient to keep your Super Sweet 100 plants happy and easily accessible.
Juliette is another small red tomato variety that I enjoy. An indeterminate variety that enjoys growing only as high a you care to reach, the Juliette is an abundant producer of elongated fruit that resembles large grapes or immature prune plums. The tomatoes have thicker skins than the Super Sweet 100 variety, and provide a nice tomato flavor that has a good balance between acidity and sweetness.
You’ll know when Juliettes are ready to pick as they will snap off the vine into your hand with just a little encouragement from you. The firm flesh of the Juliette makes it a perfect tomato for slicing in half lengthwise for salads.
Many of my Juliettes never make it into the house as I personally and immediately “can them” in the garden while doing chores. There just isn’t a better snack than the bite size delicious Juliette tomato that grows in abundance.
Are you ready for a small green tomato that is one of the most unusual you’ll ever grow? Okay then, let’s take a look at Green Sausage. You read that right, it’s called Green Sausage. It’s an odd name, but most appropriate for this small green tomato.
A determinate plant, the Green Sausage produces 2 to 4 inch elongated tomatoes that look quite like small light green wax peppers. The tomatoes grow on a bushy plant that fits well in small and medium size tomato cages. When ripe, the fruits have mottled stripes of light green and yellow. The seeds are a medium green, just like an unripe tomato, and that makes for an interesting contrast with the outer flesh when sliced widthwise for a vegetable tray.
Not only are Gre
en Sausage tomatoes odd looking, but they also have an unusual taste. In fact, they don’t taste much like a tomato at all. The firm flesh of the Green Sausage has a pleasing texture and a mild fresh taste that makes them well suited for a snack tray or salad.
If you grew only these three varieties of small tomatoes in your home vegetable garden, you wouldn’t be disappointed. They offer good flavor, a bountiful harvest and something to talk about at your next dinner party.
Enjoy these varieties of small tomatoes, and continue to experiment with others. It is a delicious and educational adventure into the smaller world of America’s favorite garden vegetable.
Clair Schwan is an experienced vegetable gardener with open sun and greenhouse garden beds. He grows over 100 varieties of vegetables just outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming to keep himself and his family fed year round. His gardening practices include cultivating cold hardy varieties throughout the winter using adequate protection from the harsh elements. See his gardening adventures, quality homemade greenhouses and vegetable gardening tips at http://www.frugal-living-freedom.com
Tags: best vegetables, favorite vegetables, garden vegetables, tomato, tomatoes, vegetable garden
