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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Growing Better Tomatoes

Many people will have already started their tomatoes from seed. If you have, make sure not to crowd the seedlings, place them in lots of light and keep them warm. Transplant them into larger pots as soon as the first real leaves appear and then again about 2 weeks later. Make sure that they are getting enough sun. If they start to stretch then they need more light - either strong, direct sunlight or 14-18 hours under grow lights. To grow strong stems, tomatoes need to ‘sway in the breeze’. Use a fan to create a breeze (not a wind storm) a few times through out the day. Don’t leave the fan on all the time as it may dry out your seedlings.
If you are buying transplants ones that have not stretched and have active white roots. If the weather is not warm enough to plant outside then treat them as mentioned above until it is time to plant.
Often, when people come to the greenhouse they are overwhelmed by the different varieties of tomatoes and don’t know which one to choose. Tomatoes vary from beefsteak (great for hamburgers) to Roma types to small cherry. There are also varieties that do well in containers and even hanging baskets. So, how do you decide? Think about whether you are planting the tomatoes in a garden or in a container on the patio. Many people choose a cherry tomato to put on their patio so their kids can nibble on the small sweet tomatoes while playing. Also, consider when do you want to start eating them. There are long keeper varieties that will stay fresh for several months. Check out the days to maturation as a guide to which varieties ripen early. Best advise is to ask the greenhouse staff if they have any recommendations or talk to other gardeners. There are also many websites that rate tomato varieties. Be adventurous there are many heirloom varieties and new varieties coming out. One of our customers has tried close to 500 different varieties!
Before planting in the garden prepare the area by covering the soil with black or red plastic for a few weeks. This will warm the soil and translate into happier tomato plants and an earlier harvest. Tomatoes love heat. Many people use plastic tomato covers that can be filled with water to add heat units and protect the tomatoes from the elements. The covers allow you to plant earlier as well. Leave the covers on until the weather warms up.
Plant tomatoes deep, in fact, you can plant them all the way up to the top few leaves. Tomatoes can develop roots along their stems. The bumps along the stem are actually dormant roots, thus transplanting deeper provides more roots and stronger plants. You can either dig a deeper hole or simply dig a shallow trench and lay the plant sideways. It will straighten up as they grow toward the sun. If you are staking the plant be careful not to pierce the stem with the cage. Plant in a sunny location as tomatoes need at least 5 hours of direct sunlight to thrive and develop a sweet flavour.
After planting, it is a good idea to mulch. Mulching conserves water and prevents the soil and soil born diseases from getting on the plants. Consider red plastic ground covers as mulch. It sounds like an old wives' tale, but studies confirm that the color red makes tomatoes grow more quickly and stockier. Why? The color red makes the tomato believe that they are overcrowded and encourages the plants to battle for dominance. The result? More tomatoes on healthier, bushier plants! USDA tests confirm that red mulch produces bigger fruit with 46% more overall weight.
How, when and where should I prune my tomato plants? This requires you finding out whether you have a determinate (usually bush style tomatoes) or indeterminate tomato plant. Determinate type tomatoes tend to set and ripen their fruit all at one time, making a large quantity available when you’re ready to make sauce and usually do not require too much pruning. Indeterminate type tomatoes (staking tomatoes) grow very tall and require pruning. These tomatoes will set fruit earlier if you pinch off the tips of the main stems in early summer. You can further prune the plants by removing the leaves from the bottom 1 inch of stem. These are usually the first leaves to develop fungus problems as they get the least amount of sun and are closest to the soil. You can also remove growth that sprouts in the crotch joint of two branches. This growth will not produce tomatoes and the energy to growth these branches takes away from producing fruit. Don’t over prune. The tomato needs leaves for photosynthesizing and creating the sugars that flavor to your tomatoes. Towards the end of the season prune off smaller fruit and flower buds so the tomato will concentrate on growing the larger fruit before the frost.
One of the most important tasks in growing successful tomatoes requires constant water management. Water deeply and consistently. Uneven or erratic watering leads to blossom end rot (calcium deficiency) and cracking. You can lessen the water during the ripening stage to encourage the development of sugars for sweeter tomatoes.
Fertilizer will improve your yields. Begin fertilizing right after transplanting with a high phosphorous (middle number) mix such as 10–52–10 for 3 to 4 weeks. After that a balance mix such as 20-20-20 once a week is recommended.
As with all gardening, the joy is in the doing and seeing what you can grow. Good luck with your tomato crop!

Friday, February 8, 2013

Cooking with Kids

Cooking with my daughter, Kate, not only is fun but I also get to look at a familiar task through new eyes. Rediscovering the wonders of smelling, tasting and mixing ingredients. Seeing the mystery in rising bread dough (Kate calls it magic dough) and taking tasks to their basic level. Cooking with Kate also teaches me patience. Patience to allow her time to measure and mix. Patience to allow her space to learn and discover. Patience to allow her to make a mess!
Another motivating factor for me in teaching Kate to cook is that she is a fussy eater. One way I have tried to peak her interest in eating is by cooking with her. It has helped a bit and I hope that eventually she will learn to like a variety of foods.
Cooking with our children is also an opportunity to build family traditions. Kate and her Dad make pancakes together on Saturday mornings and her and I continue the tradition of making granola that I learned from my Mom.
Teaching kids to cooking builds important life skills and self esteem. As a former home economics teacher I loved that to watch kids create something with there own hands and to see how really proud they were of themselves. Real self esteem comes from doing. Sharing food is also very intimate and cooking is a great way to build relationships. Kids tend to open up when they are busy in the kitchen - the things I didn’t learn in some of those Home Economics classes!!
Here are a couple of Kate's breakfast favourite recipes. Enjoy!

Good Old Granola    Photo credit: www.canolainfo.org

Granola
A homemade granola like this is nice with just milk or to use as a topping on yogurt! 
Ingredients:
canola cooking spray
2 cups slow-cooking rolled oats 500 mL
1/2 cup wheat germ 125 mL
3/4 cup finely flaked coconut 175 mL
2 Tbsp sesame seeds 30 mL
1/4 tsp salt 1 mL
1 Tbsp milk 15 mL
1/2 cup canola oil 125 mL
1/3 cup liquid honey 75 mL
Instructions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Prepare a baking sheet by spraying with canola cooking spray.
  2. In large bowl, combine dry ingredients - oats, wheat germ, coconut, seeds and salt. Add milk, canola oil and honey, stirring constantly.
  3. Spread on the baking sheet about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until browned, stirring two or three times during cooking. Cool and store in tightly covered container in refrigerator for up to one week. Serve as a cereal with milk and fruit or eat by the handfuls as a snack.
Yield: 4 cups (1 L) or 8 half cup servings.
Source: www.canolainfo.org

Golden Pancakes   Photo credit: www.canolainfo.org
Golden Pancakes
These homemade pancakes are so light and fluffy.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 375 mL
3 Tbsp granulated sugar 45 mL
2 tsp baking powder 10 mL
1/2 tsp baking soda 2 mL
1/2 tsp salt 2 mL
1 cup milk 250 mL
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp canola oil (plus more for oiling pan) 45 mL
Instructions:
  1. Heat electric griddle to 325°F (160°C). In a medium bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk milk, eggs, and oil. Pour wet ingredients into the dry and whisk together. Do not overmix. Oil electric griddle with canola oil. Pour batter into pan to make pancakes. Cook about 1 1/2 minutes each side (depending on size).
  2. To add a unique flavor to your morning pancakes use one of these easy topping or simply mix directly into the pancake batter.
  3. Topping Ideas: blueberries, Saskatoon, bananas, granola, yogurt, chocolate chips, raisins, walnuts, strawberries, peaches, whipped cream, maple syrup...
Yield: 12 pancakes.
Source: www.canolainfo.org
 

Tip - Pancakes:
Making the perfect pancakes depends a lot on cooking them at the right temperature. An easy test is to sprinkle the pan with water. If the water dances the pan is at the right temperature. If the water lays flat it is not hot enough and if the water instantly evaporates it is too hot. Once the batter is poured on the pan you will know it is time to flip the pancakes when the tiny bubbles in the batter break and remain open around the edge of the pancake. Cook the other side until nicely brown. Remember pancakes only need to be flipped once!
first published in Canola Cooks 2 - 2003.