Double-Decker Tomato Sandwich

Now that more fresh tomatoes are coming off the vine, the question for those of us that REALLY love fresh tomatoes is how to possibly work more of them into a meal.

Before the T-Farm tomatoes started ripening this year, I had a very nice sandwich the other day with a local tomato slice on it that was maybe 1/4" thick.  It tasted pretty good, but the flavor was not quite all there in my opinion. (Perhaps it was not picked red)

Anyway,  if you slice open a large tomato, and make the slices that thin, there better be a pretty large group of people ready to eat or you will have to find another use for the rest of the tomato.  In short, sandwiches can be a slow and limited way to eat tomatoes if prepared in this fashion.

And then there is the Double-Decker tomato sandwich, which is truly a lycopene packed innovation that solves the sandwich/tomato dilemma.   The sandwich shown above was created by my friend Mike yesterday with a rye bread I had baked and some T-Farm tomatoes and basil layered with some white cheddar.  If this wasn't Wisconsin I suspect the cheese may not have been doubled!

After copying the design of this structural sandwich, I can tell that you it tastes every bit as good as it looks.  With the Midwest weather as nice as it has been so far this year, many of us may need to find new ways to eat all of the garden bounty, and this is a great way to go!  Enjoy!

First Outdoor T-Farm Tomatoes of 2012

The first outdoor tomatoes of the 2012 are now ripe. What a great flavor after a Midwest winter where good tomatoes are difficult to find. 

 Starting 2012, all T-Farm tomatoes are heirloom varieties (25 different varieties this year!).  One of the very first tomatoes this year is a new trial for T-Farm, an unusual, potato-leaf heirloom from Czechoslovakia (pictured on the right) called "Stupice."  

It is reportedly cold tolerant which makes it a good choice for Wisconsin.  It is also obviously very early.  As you can see by the photo, there are not a lot of branches or leaves, this plant went right to fruit production!  The flavor of the first fruit was tangy with a hint of sweetness, very nice indeed.

 Back again from last year's trials is the wonderful "Italian Tree" tomato shown on the left.  The the first ripe fruit was medium size and delicious and full of deep summery tomato flavor.

If you live in the Madison or Cross Plains area, we plan to have tomatoes available for sale this summer, so stay tuned and we will announce when and where you can try some T-Farm tomatoes.  And good luck to those of you growing your own tomatoes, seems like a great year so far, so long as one has water available for the plants.

First Tomatoes Outside in 2012

Yes it is early May so to have some tomatoes on the vine is a big deal in Wisconsin...Here are the first photos:

Oh, and these are the amazing Italian Tree tomatoes whose vines can grow over 10 feet long!