Secret's out now
If you ever want to get me talking your ear off, ask me about Tomatoes.
My love of tomatoes started when Bryan and I went to the Framers Market in Germany. These Farmer's Markets were incredible. Flowers, meats, cheeses, produce and so much more were available. On one outing, we purchased some gorgeous tomatoes. The kind that had waves in the flesh as if it were ribbons of frosting all around the stem, in various shades of red. I wish I had asked what variety this tomato was, because I now am searching to find it. The beautiful seedy flesh was a river of juice and the flavor was indescribable. It may have been that I was just used to flavorless store-bought tomatoes, but I think it was the magic of an heirloom that stole my heart in that moment. The only tomato visually I can compare it to is a Genovese, which I am growing this year. Once I taste it, I will let you know if I have found the long-lost variety I have been searching for.
After we moved to North Dakota, Bryan and I Started 72 indeterminate tomato seeds. We did not have a garden; we had a backyard. We had planned to have a container garden. Crazy right? We were, and we were in over our heads. We expected that many seeds would not come up, but they did. All of them. We ended up giving away more than half of the seedlings, which was heartwarming. This was my first experience as a gardener where I was able to share my treasured plant babies with others so that they could enjoy these varieties as well. Our first year we grew only Heirloom tomatoes, and we selected some excellent varieties that are still our favorites today. The Varieties were Black Krim, Pink Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, and Green Zebra.
My absolute FAVORITE tomato of all time is the Green Zebra. It is tarte, and has a semi hard outer skin. It is fleshy and vibrant with a hint of tang that pairs so well with lime and cilantro. It is sunsets, summer, salsa, and tacos. It resembles all my favorite things while defying what we know of tomatoes and being fully ripe, Green with Yellow stripes. Here are a few from our first tomato harvest.
I know you have seen this photo before. But don't worry, I won't disappoint when you see the Tomatoes I have in store this summer. This Garden will be the best one yet. In fact, I'll tell you a little secret....
We Finished the garden bed build! We could not have done it without Peyton's help. I wish I had documented how awesome it was to see her unsure of her drill to "I got this one dad." I am so proud of her, and it makes me so happy that we built this as a family.
We also are currently getting the dirt delivery scheduled, which means it's time to harden off my plants from the grow lights and get them prepped to live outside where they can really stretch out their roots.
What are your favorite tomato varieties? I can tell you, I have a desire to own and grow almost EVERY tomato variety I come across. If you ask my work bestie, she will tell you I love to browse Baker Creek Seeds and contemplate ruining my budget to buy even more seeds haha.
If you would like to try to grow Green Zebra's or just browse the incredible selection of seeds , check out www. Rareseeds.com, or follow the link below to go directly to green zebra tomato's.
https://www.rareseeds.com/store/vegetables/striped/green-zebra-tomato