How many cherries?

[worth1]

Neat trick! How do you do that, Worth?

Blue Cheese dressing.

[root_grow]

Last year I had 13 cherry tomato plants for 2 people. There were plenty for sharing and eating fresh however we wanted, and after each harvest I put whatever was left over from the previous harvest into the freezer whole.

I like to saute garlic with chili flakes, toss in a bunch of frozen cherry tomatoes just until they melt and then scoop it over pasta for a quick savory breakfast. There are a lot of other dishes too where fresh chopped tomato is great in summer, but I found that in winter I could make the same dish with a quick saute of frozen cherries with equally tasty results, which is a welcome change from all the saucy tomatoes in the winter months. Actually I wish I had more, there aren't enough left to see us through until they're ripe again...

I'd really love a tsunami of fresh cherry tomatoes right now!

[Lonejack]

This year 3 cherries (Sungold, SS100, Black Cherry), a Pink Ping Pong, and a Jaune Flemme should be plenty for the 2 of us plus sharing. I'll dehydrate a few quart jars full of the cocktail tomatoes but I don't bother with the cherries because all that seems to remain are the skins and very little flesh.

We also use a lot of Sungold in this pasta dish,,,we use angel hair as the pasta. We have it about once a week in season and maybe once a month out of season using the dehydrated cocktail tomatoes.

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 8 ounces Sun Gold or cherry tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt
• 6 ounces capellini, spaghetti, or bucatini
• 3/4 cup finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan
• 8 medium fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
• Toasted breadcrumbs (for garnish; optional)

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes, season with salt, and cook, covered slightly and swirling pan often, until tomatoes blister and burst, 10-12 minutes. Press down on tomatoes to release their juices. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
Meanwhile, bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a 5 quart pot. Season with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water.
Transfer pasta to skillet with tomatoes; set over high heat. Add 1/2 cup pasta water. Cook, stirring and tossing often, until sauce thickens and begins to coat the pasta, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining oil, cheese, and half the basil and toss until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente. (Add more pasta water if sauce seems dry.) Add remaining basil, season with salt, and serve with breadcrumbs, if desired.

[roper2008]

Thanks for all the comments which are most helpful .

I want to grow and compare Blush (which I love) to, Blush 2, Lucky Tiger and Lucky Agi F1. I'm also keen to grow KARMA Miracle, Super Snow White, Galina, Madeira F1 and Green Bee.

Guess I'll have to put Sungold, Rosella and Dr. Carolyn Pink on the back burner for this season, and prune everything to one stem (except Blush).

I'll be growing Maglia Rosa and Taste Patio in containers on the deck for "earlies", and just in case I hate the taste of all the new-to-me's =:o

My dehydrator is an 8-tray Excaliber which can take a LOT of halved cherry tomatoes .

Linda

I liked blush a lot the one time I grew it, very productive, but then they all started splitting. You didn’t have that problem with it?
Wonder if I should give it a second shot.

[Clkeiper]

4-6 is a boatload of cherry tomatoes. I grow about 20 of them and I sell them. oodles and oodles of cherry tomatoes on that many varieties. I would recommend a few of the dwarf varieties to try if you are looking for variety and not enough to feed a farmers market.

[Nan6b]

My wonderful 89-year-old mother grows 3 cherry tomato plants for her personal use each year.

[Labradors]

Roper2008 I didn't have much splitting last season because (after a wet spring) it was relatively dry. I do go out and pick anything that has blushed if the weather man predicts rain, so maybe that helped. I'd definitely grow Blush again if you liked it .

Linda

[Clkeiper]

I suppose on how productive each variety is that you plant as to how many may be too many. I was picking about 20#s every other day last Summer. three or 4 may be perfect for you or maybe not enough.

[Labradors]

It's odd that one of my messages didn't show up. I said that I might have to look into getting a stand at the local farmer's market Carolyn .
Twenty pounds every other day sounds like a heck of a lot to me {LOL}. Guess I will find out......

Linda

[Clkeiper]

I would estimate I was growing about 20... not 3 or 4 fyi