Welcome back to another TomatoMania Monday! Scott is here with the results of his Tomato Derby. In case you didn't know, the Derby was a race! A tomato race. He was out to see which varieties would fruit first. The original Tomato Derby post can be found here.  GREG

We Have A Winner!

The wait is over and yes, it’s officially tomato season!  Finally!
 
I turned green with envy recently reading about tomato festivals down south.  The season there is in full swing but cooler weather in the west has kept our season at bay for a couple weeks longer than expected.
 
The good news is that it looks to be a great season.  Our plants are loaded with fruit and just this weekend we picked Derby tomatoes!
 
The first of our early contenders to come through with ripe fruit is…STUPICE, the Czech heirloom!  We should change the name to “Old Reliable”. The plant doesn’t really look great, which is oddly different from last year, but we picked two this weekend and there are over 25 other fruits well formed and ready to ripen in the next few weeks.  Since they’re growing in containers they’re due a light fertilizing this week, so perhaps it will perk up as it delivers the rest of its crop.
 
The second to turn color is JENNY (pictured at top of post), the small orange hybrid.  (Greg, you’re growing this one too…picking yet?) The plant is tall, lanky and covered with fruit.  It’s officially a cherry but the fruit is slightly elongated and some are a little larger on the blossom end.  The taste?  Phenomenal.  Bright and sweet and so fresh.  We tasted one or two just as we picked them and enjoyed the flavor.  But the ones we brought in and left on the kitchen counter for three days? Amazing!

Here we are. Another ManiacMonday. You have come here for your weekly fix of TomatoMania. In fact you may be expecting more great advice from Scott on growing these perfect jewels of summer. But we are giving him a week off.

You also may have been expecting me to post Sups! version of one of the contest winning recipes today. But in truth, I am dragging my feet a little bit because I know those great tomatoes of summer are right around the corner. I figure with just a little more patience I can make these recipes using the very best tomatoes. Maybe even tomatoes from my own backyard!

So I am choosing this Monday to give you an update on my tomatoes. Which have not only started to flower, but they are beginning to fruit as well.

As I have mentioned in weeks past am growing my tomatoes in pots because I do not get a lot of sun in my yard.  But that has not stopped my little seedling from growing HUGE!

I think I am having so much success because Scott helped me pick varieties suited to my conditions.

Scott is back with more great TomatoMania tips!

He is here just in time too. Because instead of cooking one of the contest winning TomatoMania recipes today, I am heading to the studios of KCRW today to talk about them.

I am going to be interviewed on Good Food by the wise and wonderful  Evan Kleiman about all the terrific contest winning tomato recipes you have heard so (very, very) much about here on SippitySup!

I am unsure when the show actually airs, but you can be pretty sure I will let you know. Unless of course I bomb... either way I think they call this tooting your own horn. Beep! Beep!

So enough of me and my horn. Let's get Scott back front and center. I know you are anxious to get your tomatoes off the vine and on the plate! GREG

It's time for another Maniac Monday.

Scott is back to help us understand that tomato term known as paste tomato. Or what I like to call a cooking tomato.

But before we bring Scott out I want to say.  I realize I have been a bit lax about posting this past week. I have been traveling. I had every good intention of keeping to my "new post a day" regime. But well, travel is stressful and I got busy. Besides today is a Holiday anyway. It's amazing I even found my way to the computer.

But do not worry. I will  be back home soon and right back into my self imposed blogging schedule. You'll get more Sup than you know what to do with! I promise...(maybe)!  GREG

Well the garden show is finished.

What a success it was. The tomato contest recipes were a big hit and a great addition the event. But this is not the end of the fun!

Nope, Scott is taking these recipes on the road with him. These recipes are going bi-coastal! That’s right SippitySup, TomatoMania, and your recipes from “Sea to Shining Sea”!

He’ll be in Lothian, MD, May 8-10, and in Litchfeild, CT, May 15-17. If you are in the neighborhood. Pop in say “hello” and stock up.

But as you know I was at the Garden Show too! In fact here is photgraphic proof! Me with the winning recipe cards.

It gave me a really good chance to get to know the contest winning recipes. Which is a good thing because starting next Monday I am going to be making each one of the winning entries. I can’t decide whether I should go alphabetical by blog name, or just pick randomly. What do you think?

But just because Scott and his seedlings are jet-setting off to New England that does not mean he has forgotten you or your tomatoes.

Noooo, he’s nothing if not “supportive”! GREG HENRY

It’s been a mad rush of a week.

My tomato plants are waist high. They are beginning to flower and they look healthy and happy.

Scott talked briefly about pinching off (or not pinching off) some of the branches that begin to form at the joints where the leaves connect to the main stalk. I am growing mine in pots, so I think my tomato support choices are limited. In fact I am choosing a very basic pyramid of 3 bamboo stakes per pot. Because of these limitations I am choosing to pinch my side shoots. Besides it’s a nice way to start each day. I take my tea out there and I pinch away.

I like the way it makes my fingers smell too!

I’ll be bringing Scott back next week for some real advice, about support systems. In the meantime, wasn’t there a contest or something here at SippitySup. Aren’t you curious how that came out?

Well, had a great response to our TomatoMania recipe contest. I am so honored by all the talent and love out there.

Every single entry was fantastic. I wish we had the budget to print up all 46 entries and pass them all out at the Los Angeles Garden show. But the reality is we do not! Besides what kind of contest would it be with out winners! Everybody loves a winner. And here they are! Congratulations and Thank-You all...

Welcome back to another Maniac Monday. Scott from TomatoMania is here, and just in time. My tomatoes have already grown by leaps and bounds. I am sure yours have too.

There are some maintenace steps we need to be aware of. But I'll let Scott explain all that.

I am here to bring you news of the contest I teased about last week.

How would you like thousands of tomato loving foodies to suddenly discover your blog over one weekend? I am here to say I can help 6 talented bloggers do just that.

This contest is in conjunction with TomatoMania and the Los Angeles Garden Show. Whose theme this year is Festival of Flavors.

Scott and I will have a booth at the show. He is going to be preaching and teaching all things tomato garden. I am going to be offering tomato cooking tips. But not my cooking tips. Nope. Yours.

TomatoMania finally had its first 2009 Los Angeles area event. It was at Tapia Brothers Farm Stand in Encino. It was a big hit (as always!). So Scott Daigre is recovering this week.

As you can imagine he really throws himself into these things (because he’s the original “maniac”). So he asked me to step in on this the latest of what has officially become, and will remain through the tomato growing season, Maniac Mondays.

The weekend was an undeniable hit. The line snaked out the front gates and through the parking lot. The die-hard TomatoManiacs were the first to arrive…in force!

But the regular old TomatoManiacs like me kept a steady stream of plants moving from the sale grounds to the trunks of cars.  All kinds of cars too.

Scott Daigre is back. So all you TomatoManiacs can just calm down. He has advice for us this week on getting your precious little babies into the ground.

So read up and take notes.

If you like the look of this Polish Paste tomato or the Green Zebra variety and you aspire to a perfect caprese salad come August (and I know you do), then you need to pay attention!

Also, the very first TomatoMania '09 events were a very big success this past weekend in San Diego. The event moves to Los Angeles this week. You can be sure I will be there. I'll bring my video camera too.  So you can see just how much fun Sup is capable of having in one afternoon. In the meantime, please check out TomatoMania's website. Hopefully there is an event near you.

And lastly, the New York Times noticed what we were up to and mentioned TomatoMania this week. Click on over there and tell them Sup sent you! GREG

So it was bound to happen.

The Obamas are hooked on Sup too. I think either Michelle or our new President must have been following our TomatoMania posts. I mean there is no other explanation.

Because Barack Obama and his kids are starting a vegetable garden in the yard of the White House. Could there be a better metaphor for the Hope that this President brings to this country?

George Bush Senior once quipped that one of the great perks of office was never having to eat Brussels sprouts again.

The Obamas are going to grow their own!

They are partly doing it as an educational tool. They hope to talk about food choices and a healthy diet. I support that agenda.

But I see the bigger, bolder picture here. America is starting from the ground up. We are putting down new roots. We are going to grow this country once again in a way that is inspiring and exciting. It makes me proud to be an American.

Welome back for more TomatoMania.

This week Scott Daigre is going to educate us on a few basic terms that will help us choose just the right seedlings for our gardens and our appetites. Don't worry you can do it... tomato tags are easy to decipher. Well, easy for Scott. But persevere. Because you are one week closer to bushels of perfect tomatoes. Just like this one pictured here. But stay away from it. Grow your own. This one is mine. GREG

So many tomatoes, so little garden space.

Now that you’ve selected and amended your garden space, here comes the fun part. You get to fill it with tomato plants!

The seedlings you’ll find this time of the year most often come in 4” pots. They can look rather insignificant as you consider the whole wide space you’ve just spent your valuable time tilling.  Not to worry. They’ll soon be in major growth mode. In a couple months you’ll wonder why you didn’t expand the garden just a little bit more!

As promised, here is Scott Daigre of TomatoMania. He is a tomato growing expert and a heck of a good cook. He is going to make several appearances here over the tomato growing season to help us get the best possible tomatoes out of our gardens. He runs “The World’s Largest Tomato Seedling Sale”. Maybe he's having an event near you! Go HERE to find out.  His selection is incredible. There are so many varieties. Old favorites and crazy stuff you've never heard of too. It's a lot of fun and makes sure that foodies like us have access to the mighty tom! So grab your dungarees, your garden gloves, and a pen and paper...GREG

First Things First.

The start of your tomato growing odyssey.

As with most things that are truly rewarding in the end, you can’t just launch headlong into this process with no forethought or preparation and then expect a bumper crop this summer.  Before you start counting your cherry tomatoes you need to have a plan for providing the best foundation and environment for your plants to grow in.