Happy Birthday Charles

After getting up much too early to do this that and the other and watching a very fun and interesting, very interesting leg of the Tour de France, I made plans for the full social schedule ahead of us. I figured to not retreat into seclusion because of not having my better half with me and try to keeping up a face as it were.

So our social obligations would take us down to the Marina in Redondo Beach, where it was absolutely beautiful. And then back up to Marina Del Rey and finally into downtown to celebrate our good friend's birthday on a rooftop in the middle of the city. Good times





Charles and Coltrane


We got there early so we could celebrate in the family friendly stage of the party. As would have it that blended into the evening party and I finally had to drag Skye away around 11 pm.

I was and am utterly as I watch the Tour's first important day in the montains. I sure missed my Cindy yesterday.

Tomato Bonanza

First Heirloom Harvest

Cindy got a movie!!! Yay!

It's in Atlanta, Georgia. Boo!!! Tear, sniffle, sniffle.

We sure are going to miss her, but it also sounds like a good excuse for a road trip.

But the day before she left, we had our first little harvest from the heirloom tomatoes I have been obsessing over.




Skye appreciating one of the of the lovely heirlooms(the Black Sea Man variety to be precise)





Cindy won't get to enjoy the bounty of the garden unfortunately. But I did cut up a plate and we had it with some salt and a little pepper. The taste was deep and complex, almost like eating meat. And the cherry tomatoes are sweet like candy.

YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4th of July

The lower structure is relatively new, the TSS(Tomato Support Structure) as I have come to call it.



I finally got cleaned up and had most of the food going and then the guests started arriving and the second phase of madness began.

It's hard enough to manage a grill or rather two grills on different levels. Add to that pool duties(the pumps decided to fall apart) and playing host and I was set to get burnt to a crisp.





We had a lot of kids over and there joyous squeals and splashing about made it all worth it.




And of course old friends, I mean friends I've know for a long while, like since high school.

Lots of other friends showed up and a great time was had.

3 days latter and we are still cleaning up.


I am dead tired. But it was a fun time, well worth it in the end.

A More than $64 Tomato

I have always been a bit extreme granted. And this latest endeavor is right up there, but more or less complete. The Tomato Support Structure now is fully enclosed with doors and supporting my lovely tomatoes.

The other night I canned some salsa using tomatoes from the garden, made a few jars of fresh salsa that have been devoured pretty quickly.

I started reading a very amusing book, The $64 Tomato, William Alexander, a bit too close too home, but really very funny. He kind of figured out what one tomato cost him, after all the money put into renovations, "organic" and "local" gardening, etc. etc. and it came out to $64 per tomato. At the rate I am going I have him beat.



I had to climb up on a bucket that balanced on a cinderblock wall, which was unstable and scary to secure the fencing.



But then it was several a couple of terraces down to fall.





This tomato plant I almost yanked up last year and then it just went wild. But it was becoming a tangled mess until I was able to spread it out on the TSS.




Free to spread out and grow. But not until I trimmed away half of it, dead and lame.





It's like tomato puppetry.




This tomato plant is actually quite famous. It's called the Mortgage Lifter and has some great stories behind it. More on that later, another post another time. But this tomato is supposed to come in between 2 to 4 pounds. WOW!!!





A door to protect the little Koi.

Now and then and in between

Sorry to those of you who know this story all too well but I ran across some old photos and felt like reminiscing. Plus I just finished a new addition the Tomato Support Structure, from hereon known as TSS, more on that to come.

When we first bought the Milagro house, one of the thoughts behind it was that it was pretty much in move-in condition.

Pretty much. Well, as any homeowner knows, the maintenance and improvements never end, particularly if you are me.






Milagro House, shortly after we got it.




This is a somewhat more recent pic.




This is one of our first days in the new pad.

We found out shortly thereafter that neither the stairway or the platform were very structurally sound.



And so my back yard odyssey began. I hired a few guys a couple of times but it didn't really work out. So I would say that the vast majority, like 98% I did myself. Learning new skills and manhandling tons and tons of material.




I laid the foundation. (All ten tons of it) for the oven and stove and then had some mason's build the pizza oven and BBQ.




The grapes have filled in well and note the new structure to the left, the TSS.





The grapes haven't quite taken off.




And now they have. Wine grapes to the left, table grapes on your right. Nothing edible yet, soon though, I hope.




This is before the koi pond, and well before the latest addition of






Note the potted rosemary in the foreground, just keep it in mind.




Pond overboard.






The TSS is actually quite multi-purposed. It started off as a solution to keeping the chickens from flying into the neighbors yard. We don't have chickens, yet, but nothing like planning ahead. Then I realized if it could keep the chickens in it could also keep critters out, notably whatever had raided the koi pond several months ago.

We have since repopulated the koi pond with more koi, a couple of catfish, and some tadpoles but an ugly and very inconvenient covering of chicken wire had been in place since.

Last year I bought some very wonderful heirloom tomato plants from a lovely local grower in Torrance and then got a job and really messed things up. It was a hot summer and I just...well we didn't get that many tomatoes and the plants never really took off. This year I was determined not to have a repeat, so I have been diligent with watering and the like, and I'm not working. And they have gone crazy. I quickly realized I needed some serious support for these guys. So hence the TSS, maybe a bit extreme, but so far it is working out well in all regards.









View from inside the TSS.




Remember the potted rosemary. They didn't like pots, so I replanted them and they are flourishing.





His buddy is doing pretty good as well.






Before...




After. I need to get in and do some pruning.





Something never quite worked for me with these pots. So I decided to move them down by the pool. Now that was a major undertaking, since I did it myself. Those pots are ridiculously heavy.








I planted a fig tree and a pomegranate in their place and they are doing much better.












Little Daisy, the Christmas cat, has pretty much been banished to being an outdoor cat. She seems to be fair alright with the change.

Laker Madness

GO Lakers!!!!!!

Hurray the Lakers won the NBA Championship. On Wednesday there was a celebratory parade from Staples Center to the Coliseum. Now I usually wouldn't get caught up in that kind of thing. I'm a big fan and I am thrilled with them winning, but going downtown, trying to find parking and then hanging out with several thousand people to see the team go by and wave from the tops of double decker buses, is not my idea of fun.

Skye, however thought that it would be a great idea. So that was that and of we went.

No, wait.

First we had to run over to the Santa Monica Farmer's market to get some food for the little get together we were having later that evening. And I had to make sure I got several e-mails sent off . And get ready for the party and bunch of other stuff. No wonder I had woken up, all stressed out at 3 am. Well at least I got those e-mails out of the way. But I had a long day ahead of me.




I love the Farmer's Market. So much wonderful foods. Skye made some wonderfully yummy Roasted Carrots with Sage. I know its more of a Fall/Winter thing but tasty nonetheless. I ending up grilling peaches.

Heading Downtown to Celebrate

I loaded the bikes onto the car, so we wouldn't have to deal with parking, just trying to bicycle around downtown Los Angeles with an 11 year old and the traffic and crowds. I turned out to be a pretty good idea, although it stressed me out a bit.



A lot of people turned up. It was way too crowded near the coliseum, so we headed north where it was a little less crowded.




Less crowded? Yes this is less crowded.

Skye decided it would be a good idea for her to try to get closer on her own, so she'd have a better view. I was not thrilled with this idea but let her have a go.



Well, she did get closer. She ended up squished and couldn't see much. That's the top of her head under that guys armpit.




Here they come.



Lamar's up there some where.




Sasha getting the crowd going.




Ariza, Jordan Farmar

Where's Kobe?





Oh there he is or rather there he goes, holding the trophy for all to see.


And just like that it was done. A bit anit-climactic to say the least.

Then we raced back to cook and garden and clean and get ready for the little Salon Milagro we were hosting. But that is for another blog.

Heirloom tomato plants arrive

A few weeks ago I ordered several heirloom tomato plants from Laurel' Heirloom Tomato Plants. She has so many to choose from. Last year I was only semi-successful with them because I flubbed up on some import things like food and water, and basic neglect because I started back to work as soon as I got them in the ground. But the ones that I did manage to revive were incredible. This year will not be a repeat and we will have more tomatoes than we know what to do with. Although I already have some recipes I'm looking forward to trying.

Here are descriptions and photos of the types of plants I got.

Yummy yummy!!!

New for 2009! Black Sea Man (4.95) 75 days (D) So many customers have gone wild over this tomato that I have decided to include it for 2009 as one of our premier varieties. A Russian tomato, the smallish determinate plants produce an enticing mahogany color fruit with olive green shoulders when mature.

Inside, the flesh is deep dark red with a beautiful hint of dark green and loaded with full-bodied, complex, intense, creamy tomato flavors. Wonderful for medium sized (10 to 15 gallon) containers, Black Sea Man has entered the running for the best black tomato in the world.

Japanese Black Trifele (TRY-feluh) AKA Truffle Black ($5.25) (SM) 80 days. Japanese Black Trifele, which translates to truffle, is a big juicy 6 -10 ounce pear-shaped, deep purple-black tomato with pretty green shoulders. In Russia the Trifele varieties of tomatoes--of which there are several colors--are highly prized and command high prices. Growing on a short potato-leafed plant, it's the size and shape of a Bartlett pear and among the darkest hued and finest flavored of the black tomatoes.

The skin is smooth and crack resistant and production is huge. Flavor is deep, chocolaty, smoky and rich, just wonderful. Took their picture and ate 'em.

Mortgage Lifter aka Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter ($4.95)(BB) (HG) 80 days.

Radiator Charlie and his big tomatoes in

a newspaper photograph from 1964.

This gigantic legendary heirloom from Logan, West Virginia developed by M.C. 'Charlie' Byles in the 1930's, is huge, sweet, juicy, delicious and prolific, with splendid old time tomato flavor. The meaty pink-red fruits weigh at least a pound, averaging 2½ lbs. and reaching up to 4 lbs. A very prolific plant which continues to bear fruit right up until frost, it also keeps very well.

Marshall Cletis Byles, who much preferred to go by MC or just Charlie, owned a garage specializing in radiator repair.

He developed Mortgage Lifter over a six year period by crossing German Johnson, Beefsteak and 2 other really big varieties, all chosen for their huge size and grand flavor. He sold the resulting plants for a dollar each (in the 40's), and was able to pay off his $5000.00 house mortgage in only 6 years with the profit from his plant sales. "I didn't pay but six thousand dollars for my home, and paid most of it off with tomato plants", said Charlie in a tape recorded interview with his grandson which aired recently on National Public Radio.

Charlie's repair shop was at the bottom of a steep hill so travelers whose radiators over-heated during the climb had to coast back down to Radiator Charlie's for repair. Other folks heard about these huge luscious tomatoes and came from hundreds of miles to buy the plant. As my customer John in Virginia says, "It's just not a real tomato garden without Mortgage Lifter." Charlie Byles lived to be 97 years old. Here is a link to the story, in Radiator Charlie's own voice:

http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=06-P13-00027&segmentID=6

Our deepest thanks to Jeff McCormick, a famed seed saver, for keeping Charlie Byle's tomato seeds and so many other great heirloom varieties alive and thriving for gardeners worldwide. Without Jeff's efforts many of these grand old family heirlooms would have been lost forever.

Paul Robeson ($4.95) (VE) (HG) 65-70 days. This is my all-time favorite tomato and our top seller.

It is a gorgeous, dark and dusky-hued fruit with intensely sweet earthy taste with a hint of tanginess, a luscious velvety smooth texture, beautiful skin, rich with juice. You will love it. The seed was made available by Marina Danilenko, a Moscow seedswoman.

This luxurious tomato is named for Paul Robeson (1898-1976), the elegant, renowned and charismatic operatic singer, law school graduate, champion athlete, film star, stage actor, and boundlessly brave champion of civil and personal rights throughout the world. This marvelous plant will give you its perfect 3"- 4" fruit in only 65 days from planting. Incredible; a symphony. I do believe this is the finest tomato in existence.

Peacevine Cherry ($5.25) F/C 70-75 days. The tiny tomato with the gigantic taste. Developed from Sweet 100 by Alan Kapular of Oregon, the Peacevine currant type tomatoes grow in clusters of 18 to 20 fruits on a big strong , vining plant with vines that can reach15 feet., and ripen in only 50 to 60 days from plant out.

When ripening, these marble-sized tomatoes can range from deep dark red to orange and yellow. The elaborate sparkling flavor of Peacevine literally changes from rich and sweet to tart and tangy and back again as you munch them--the Everlasting Gobstopper of tomatoes.

The Peacevine name was chosen because of the high amino acid content which has a calming effect on the body. This indeterminate variety had the highest vitamin C content in a cherry tomato among 30 varieties analyzed by Rutgers University.

Porter's Dark Cherry ($4.95) (Ch) (E) (SM) 65 days. This is such a fine tomato! Produces early, is abundant on the vine in charming clusters of 6 to 8. Small and gem-like, 1" long grape type fruits in an oblong oval shape, with a deep pink hue, it is becoming a much sought after favorite for discriminating tomato maniacs nationwide because the flavor is complex, rich and fabulous--just ambrosial. One of the prettiest tomatoes I've ever seen, marvelous in salads, snacking, and a brave plant that stands up extremely well to hot weather.

Sun Gold ($4.95) F/C (EE) (H) 45 - 55 days.

This is the one of the best cherry tomatoes I've ever tasted, rivaling Isis Candy, and ready to pick in only 55-60 days. It has the big, rich flavor of a full-size tomato, in a beautiful little deep-golden fruit growing in bountiful clusters on a huge plant. Sweet, rich, so beautiful...just left of center in the photograph at the top of this page. Most of them won't make it into your house from the garden. If you send someone to pick them for you, keep your binoculars trained upon the picker. The tomatoes in the photograph were picked on November 25th with our Los Angeles night temperatures in the 40's, Sun Gold is still going strong.

Super Snow White ($4.95) 70 days. F/C (E)

A gourmet's delight. I can't say enough about this exquisite, ping pong ball sized, white cherry tomato which ripens from white to ivory to palest yellow with a bright, rich and sweet juicy flavor. Very prolific, easy to grow, pretty as starlight and a top seller.

Sweet Pea ($4.95) (Ch) 62 days. This is the smallest and most endearing little tomato I've ever seen. Sweet Pea produces thousands of tiny ¼" deep-red currant tomatoes with an elaborate, rich, old time tomatoey taste--complex and sweet. They grow on a big wispy plant in bountiful clusters like handfuls of rubies. I had seen these itty bitty fruits decorating chef's creations at culinary events and had eaten them in salads at foodie soirees, then, after tasting them again at TomatoFest I knew I must bring home the seeds and grow plants for you.