Is there really anything better than having a homegrown tomato in the summer with breakfast, lunch or dinner? Or even just eating it right off the vine with maybe a touch of salt?
This is the perfect time of the year to enjoy tomatoes, one of this area’s most abundant and popular food items. When it comes to the best variety of tomatoes found in this area, several jump to mind immediately. A little information about each follows:
- Better Boy. A delicious tomato that generally weighs about a pound each, this variety bloom and produce throughout the entire growing season. Considered a “slicer” variety, the Better Boy is the perfect choice on sandwiches. It’s also a hearty tomato and flourishes in our humid climate.
- Big Boy. Whether you grow it from seeds or from plants, this variety of tomato is easy to grow, making it the ideal choice for first-time gardeners. Like the Betty Boy, it is a “slicer” and it’s also quite large, with most weighing in around 16 ounces each. This variety also blooms and fruits throughout the long growing season in this area.
- Celebrity. This variety grows to three or four feet high and is a determinate plant, which means they’re low-growing. The terminal bud forms a flower and the plant stops growing. Tomatoes ripen over 4-5 weeks and generally weigh about eight ounces. This variety is also popular because it grows well in humid conditions.
- Brandywine. A heirloom tomato, this is yet another variety that has an abundance of rich flavor. Reddish-pink in color with a light, creamy flesh, these tomatoes, which can take 100 days to mature, can weigh up to two pounds each.
No matter what the variety is, tomatoes are one of the most delicious additions to any meal – and we’re fortunate here in this area to be able to enjoy them for several months throughout the summer!
