The art of getting stuck in analysis paralysis.
It’s that time of year where you begin dreaming of the coming garden season, what you’ll plant and which tomatoes you’re going to grow. You scan through the different varieties, from beefsteak to cherry, yellow, red, black; how on earth does one decide what to plant.
My advice? Stop worrying about which type of tomato you plant.
Want to know a secret? Your sauces, salsas, salads and sandwiches will thank you if you plant a variety of different plants.
“But how can that be? I thought you were supposed to plant paste tomatoes for sauces and cherries for salads?
Well, that’s only true if you choose to believe everything you hear. And we all know you shouldn’t believe everything you hear. Let me tell you how I decide what varieties to plant in my garden each year. It’s only one step so it couldn’t be easier.
I read the description, and if I think it sounds delicious, I plant it.
Here’s the amazing thing, they almost always taste delicious and are fantastic used anyway I choose to use them. I even use cherry tomatoes in my sauces. Gasp! I know, how could I think of doing such a thing with all those skins floating around.
Want to know another secret? The immersion blender is your best friend. And you can purchase one for dirt cheap. Or perhaps you can borrow one from a friend. Mine is almost 10 years old, I paid less than $20 bucks for it and it still works great.
How do I utilize this tool in my kitchen?
Well, I hunk up my tomatoes and use this pan to broil them in the oven (this step is not necessary but adds amazing flavor). Then I use a tongs or whatever is handy to throw them in my pot, leaving some of the liquid and seeds behind. Then I turn the heat on, and blend them up. Let it simmer for a little while, add your seasonings and your ready to can.
I know, that’s crazy right?! No peeling, you get to keep all that awesome nutrition. Zero pieces of peels, chunky pieces etc. Simply delicious, flavorful sauce that you can enjoy all winter long. Unless of course you want to leave some chunks. Best part? You used anything that was coming out of the garden.
So there you go, no need to continue planting only paste tomatoes because you need to make 8000 jars of spaghetti sauce.
So shop away my friend. Try that really interesting tomato you didn’t know existed. For what is a garden if you don’t spend time truly enjoying it!
Another bonus…
Different varieties of tomatoes respond to their growing environment differently. So, the disease that wipes out one plant, may not effect the one next to it as quickly. Or, one may respond well to excessive rain, while the next does poorly. Planting a variety builds resilience in your garden. Something we could all use a bit more of.
