Part 29

The tomato, or love apple, is to be considered, for the small garden, mainly an outdoor subject. It is useless to attempt to grow it without glass in cold and backward districts, as it requires plenty of full sunshine to bring it to perfection. Even in such a district, however, a few plants put out by a south wall or fence may yield a good return; it may also be fruited well, trained under the lights of a cold frame.

It is important to have well-grown and forward plants of an early variety, ready to go out early in June. This is not difficult with the aid of a hotbed and couple of frames; better still, add to these requirements a cool house or glass-roofed tool-shed.

Select then such a variety as Sutton’s Earliest of All, and sow in pots or pans, early in March, in the hotbed. Warmth and moisture will soon bring the young plants up, and as soon as they are in their second leaf, they must be potted off, into “sixty-four” size pots, with an inch of last year’s hotbed at the bottom of the pots, and a nice compost on top. The frame must be kept closed, or nearly so, until the plants have taken hold. It may be found well to spread a newspaper over the glass, to protect them from the effects of the full sun for a couple of days. Thereafter the ordinary frame management will suit them all right. In an astonishingly short time the pots will become full of roots, and late in April it will be necessary to give them a second shift. Without disturbing the roots, they must now go into four-inch pots at least. Again some good stuff must be put in the bottom of the pots, but the roots should not be placed directly upon it. They will scarcely feel that they have been moved if it be skilfully done, and they must be grown on with daily watering, as close to the glass as possible. A third move is advised, about the twentieth of May, into six-inch pots, and this time a slender stick must be placed to each plant, and tied with bast. At this time those plants for which room can be found in the greenhouse must go into the boxes they are to fruit in. These boxes should be about a foot deep, a good layer of old manure should be mixed in with the lower layer of soil, and the boxes two-thirds filled with nice compost. As the season advances, this leaves room for fresh earth to be added, with perhaps a touch of guano, thus feeding the plants from above, and giving them fresh soil into which they will root freely.

At the time of the last repotting the plants will be some fifteen inches high, showing bud, and in many cases flower. They must still be kept warm o’ nights, grown near the glass, and kept well watered. Many gardeners put them out at the end of May without this third repotting, but we are convinced that far less check, and far better results follow, if the plants are kept growing on, until the 10th or 14th of June, when the nights have become warm and genial, and the plants have a bunch of fruit set.

When planting time comes, each plant should go out alongside fence or wall, or along the paths, dodged in among the other crops. To those in the open, where wall or fence does not afford support, stout five-foot stakes must be provided. There must be no mistake about this; the stakes are to be driven a good foot into the ground, as, if the tomatoes go on well, they will have to support many pounds’ weight of fruit. The tomatoes must be watered for a week or so after planting out, and until rain has relieved the gardener from this duty, and the plants have settled in.

As they grow the plants must be tied to the stakes, and the side shoots be rubbed out twice a week. The aim is to keep the plants to one stem carrying three good bunches of fruit. To facilitate watering in dry weather, the plants should have been set in little cup-shaped depressions in the ground. Be careful only to remove the axillary side shoots, and not the flowering bunches, which are not axillary to a leaf. This dis-budding is a pleasant enough job, except that the tomato juice stains the fingers a deep orange; provide against this with gloves or abundant soap and water.

At the beginning of August, when three good trusses of fruit are set on each plant, nip out the top of the leader, and do not allow the plants to grow any more or throw more flower. Force them to concentrate their attention upon perfecting the fruit already set. Remove with caution any leaves that overhang the fruit, and so intercept the full sunlight, but do not by any means strip the leaves. It is unnecessary to allow the fruit to completely ripen on the plants, but as soon as they show colour they may be gathered and laid out in dryness and cleanliness, under the lights of a frame or near the glass roof of the tool-shed. This will save the plants a certain effort, and will promote the interests of the fruit still coming towards maturity. When the shorter days of September come in, and the sun perceptibly loses his power, the remaining fruit may be gathered and hung up in bunches on the stalks on which it grew, to come to what ripeness it may. At any rate these bunches will provide good store of tomatoes to fry with the morning bacon far into October.

If heat be available, seed sown in January and carried on in moderate heat will give fruit in May. The autumn crop may also be prolonged, but sun is needed to produce really ripe fruit, and it is questionable whether the amateur is well advised in striving to grow tomatoes after November has set in.

DISHES.

=Broiled Tomatoes.=--Cut the tomatoes in two, and leave the skins on. Place in a well-buttered frying pan, with the skin side down, dust with salt and pepper, and broil, without turning, over a moderate fire for ten minutes, or till tender. Lay them on a hot dish, and spread each piece over with melted butter. Or the tomatoes may be cut in thick slices, covered with olive oil, and then broiled, turning frequently.

=Scalloped Tomatoes.=--Season with salt and pepper some ripe tomatoes, that have been skinned and sliced. Put a layer of fine bread-crumbs in the bottom of a buttered pudding dish, then put a layer of the sliced tomatoes; sprinkle over them a little sugar and a few drops of onion juice, then a layer of bread-crumbs, and continue until the dish is full, having the last layer of bread-crumbs; put small pieces of butter here and there on the top, and bake in a hot oven for twenty minutes. Serve hot in the same dish.

=Tomato Sandwiches.=--(1) Cut slices of thin bread and butter, and spread them with tomato pulp, seasoning with a little mustard, pepper, and salt, put another slice of bread and butter on the top, press the sandwich together, remove the crust, cut into neat fingers, and serve on a d’oyley, decorated with parsley.

(2) Slices of skinned ripe tomatoes, seasoned with a little vinegar, salt, and pepper, introduced instead of tomato pulp, make very good sandwiches.

=Tomato Fritters.=--(1) Cut peeled tomatoes into slices, season with pepper and salt. For the batter, beat up one egg, add a cupful of milk, a pinch of salt, one tablespoonful of olive oil, then sift in half a cupful of flour. Mix well till smooth and glossy. Allow to stand in a cool place for one hour; then add one teaspoonful of baking powder. Dip the slices of tomato into the batter, and place them gently in a frying basket, and fry in smoking-hot fat to a golden colour. Drain on white paper, dish, and garnish with fried parsley. Serve hot.

(2) Peel some fresh tomatoes--if they are very large, one for each person will be sufficient. Divide each tomato into thirds or quarters, and fry them slowly in butter, turning them as they brown. When nearly done, dust with salt and pepper, and sift a little flour over them--a trifle more than a heaped tablespoonful to four tomatoes. Finally, add a cupful of cream or rich milk, and simmer until the gravy thickens. Serve on slices of toasted bread.

=Baked Tomatoes stuffed with Macaroni.=--This dish is prepared from left-over macaroni, which has been baked with cheese in a white sauce. Remove the pulp from five large smooth tomatoes, chop finely, and mix with one cupful of macaroni. Season well with salt and pepper. Fill the tomato cases, cover with buttered bread-crumbs and grated cheese, and bake until browned.

=Tomato Omelette.=--One cupful of bread-crumbs, with milk enough to barely cover; let them stand for half an hour. Brown a small onion and two cloves of garlic; when done, add half a pint of canned tomatoes, cook until smooth, seasoning with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Put a good-sized lump of butter in a large frying pan when hot, pour in five or six eggs, well beaten, and the soaked bread-crumbs, well beaten together and seasoned with pepper and salt. Cook until set, sprinkle with grated cheese, lay the tomato purée on the omelette, fold, and put in a quick oven for a minute. Serve at once.

=Baked Stuffed Tomatoes.=--Remove the insides from six tomatoes, mince, and add some chopped parsley, half a pint of grated nuts, two ounces of bread-crumbs, pepper and salt to taste, and one egg. Fill the tomatoes with this mixture, and bake for half an hour, first placing a small piece of butter on each tomato.

=Tomatoes à la Noisette= (Mrs. B. C. Stephenson’s Recipe).--Scald six ripe tomatoes in boiling water, skin them, and bake them in a buttered sauté pan; then pass them through a wire sieve; chop two shallots up finely, and fry them in an ounce of butter; add two ounces of peeled and chopped walnuts, a dessertspoonful of chopped parsley, an ounce of bread-crumbs, and an ounce of grated cheese, and the tomato purée. Stir this over a quick fire, season with salt, pepper, and cayenne, beat two eggs well into the mixture, and keep stirring until set. Spread this on a round of hot buttered toast, cover with grated cheese, and serve hot.

=Tomato Sauce.= See Sauces.

=Tomato Soup.= See Soups.

=Tomato Salads.= See Salads.

=Tomatoes au Gratin.=--Blanch the tomatoes, skin them, and place in a well-buttered fireproof dish. Mix one cupful of tomato sauce with one dessertspoonful of curry powder or paste and one heaped tablespoonful of red currant jelly. Boil it up for eight minutes, season the tomatoes, and pour the prepared sauce over them. Sprinkle with grated cheese and fine bread-crumbs and a little melted butter, and bake in a hot oven for twenty minutes. Serve in a ring of plain boiled rice.

=Panned Tomatoes.=--To pan tomatoes, cut the tomatoes into halves, place them in a baking pan, skin side down, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, and put in the centre of each a tiny bit of butter. Bake slowly until soft. Take up, and add to the liquor in the pan one pint of milk. Moisten two level tablespoonfuls of flour with a little cold milk, add it to the pan, and stir constantly until boiling; add a teaspoonful of salt and a dash of pepper, and pour it over the tomatoes. Garnish with squares of toast, and serve.

=Tomato Rarebit.=--Put two tablespoonfuls of butter into the chafing dish, and, when melted, add two tablespoonfuls of flour, and stir until well blended; then pour on gradually, while stirring constantly, three-fourths of a cupful of cream, and as soon as the mixture begins to thicken, add three-fourths of a cupful of stewed and strained tomatoes, mixed with one-eighth of a teaspoonful of soda; then add two cupfuls of soft mild cheese, cut in small pieces, and two eggs, slightly beaten. Season to taste.

=Tomato Aspic Salad.=--To one pint of strained tomatoes add one scant teaspoonful of salt, a few grains of cayenne pepper, half a teaspoonful of onion juice, and half an ounce of gelatine. Let it stand for half an hour, then bring to the boiling point; put into small moulds to harden. Serve on lettuce leaves with a spoonful of mayonnaise. This will serve six persons.

=Creole Tomato Eggs.=--Cook a can of tomatoes with one green pepper and a little salt until the tomatoes are reduced by half; then pour the tomatoes on to five rounds of buttered toast, and place on each of these one poached egg, and keep hot. Meanwhile melt a heaped tablespoonful of butter in a saucepan over the fire, and allow it to get brown; then add one tablespoonful of either lemon juice or vinegar. Let it just come to the boil, and pour it over the eggs, seasoning them with salt and pepper.

=Tomato Relish.=--To one peck of tomatoes, rather finely chopped, four cupfuls of chopped celery, eight onions, chopped rather finely, eight small peppers, cut into thin slices, two pounds of brown sugar, one cupful of salt, two ounces of white mustard seed, two quarts of vinegar, and one tablespoonful of grated horse-radish. Cook all together, and drain some of the juice from the tomatoes. Mix thoroughly, and boil for a quarter of an hour; put in glass jars, and keep in a cool dark place.