by Paula D.
on September 14, 2020 2:59 pm in Food
It would be completely inappropriate if I didn’t write about tomatoes before the end of the gardening season. I’m hoping all throughout August you’ve had an ample tomato harvest. Nothing compares to a sweet homegrown tomato.
The storm a few weeks back damaged some of my plants, but all things considered, I have a good crop. If we don’t get a cold spell or another big storm our plants will continue to produce throughout September. I planted a variety as always. This year there are some heirloom, beefsteak, cherry, and cocktail tomatoes. There are over 10,000 varieties of tomato. They come in a variety of colors including pink, purple, black, yellow and even white!
Also, the original Aztec name for tomato is xitomatl, which translates as “plump thing with a navel.” How adorable! And insane!
I’ve noticed my cherry tomatoes have been splitting and beefsteaks cracking. Every wonder what that’s from? Heavy rain, especially when preceded by dry weather, causes the fruit to crack and split. It most often occurs when tomatoes begin to ripen. So essentially, it’s when there is a dramatic change in the moisture level which causes tomatoes to expand faster than the skin can grow.
Soon after the tomato splits it will become insect food. If you’re seeing this problem, remove the fruit a little before it’s fully ripe. Better a tart tomato than none at all. Keep these tomatoes on your window sill. The sunshine will help them ripen naturally. And I remind you garden newbies, never put tomatoes in the refrigerator. The cool temperature changes the texture and taste, for the worse.
It’s been a good year as far as the absence of the tomato hornworm. At least speaking in the Beach 91st Street Community Garden. You’ll know them, if you see them. Those thick green worms, sometimes five inches long! They will blend into your tomato plant foliage and without removal, the worm will kill your whole crop. If you made it this far without the pest, then you’re free and clear. A tip: make sure you till your soil after this season in a couple of weeks to destroy overwintering larvae. Do this again in the spring. This is the best prevention.
I hope you’re making some delicious recipes with tomatoes this season. They are so versatile and flavorful. There’s nothing like the satisfaction of cooking with homegrown foods. If you have a unique tomato recipe I would love to hear about it.
Simple sliced tomatoes with cream cheese on toasted bread with salt and pepper, so good.
For more on gardening follow me for the day-to-day on IG @theglorifiedtomato
Driving on the Belt Parkway over a decade ago, I remember seeing the landfill by Pennsylvania Avenue in Brooklyn. I recall the strange black netting over the garbage hills and the signs with Michael Bloomberg and Andrew Cuomo’s names on them, with an explanation of what was happening at the location. With the new administration, the signs changed to read Bill De Blasio, and architectural landscape plans were presented. But it seemed like it would forever look like an experimental nuclear site.
The former Fountain Ave. Landfill was in operation by the NYC Dept. of Sanitation from 1956-1983. It was deeded over to the National Park Service as part of Gateway National Recreation Area 1974. The initial massive restoration project to transform the land back into a viable ecosystem and public park cost $20 million dollars. The history of this site is extensive. If this sort of thing interests you, give this topic a google search.
On July 2, 2019 Shirley Chisholm State Park opened and since then, I’ve been wanting to visit. This past weekend I finally did.
Unprepared, I randomly pulled into the lot on the way home from picking up medication for one of the cats I’m fostering. I admired the vibrant painting of Shirley Chisholm on the side of the main entrance building. The painting is illustrated by Brooklyn muralist Danielle Mastrion.
A young guy at the booth offered me a map of the park. Out of the car and ready to go, I looked at the map and realized the park was expansive. It’s 407 acres, with 10 miles of bike trail. It towers 130 feet above sea level and has some of the highest ground in New York City – presenting panoramic views of the Empire State Building, The Verrazano Bridge and New York Harbor.
I wanted to tour the park on a bike to cover more ground. I headed in the direction of the Bike Library, where the rentals are located. I soon learned that reservations are most times needed. The bikes were all booked up. Not a big deal, I knew I was coming back again! If you want to reserve a bike, click here.
On my hike I read the park signage. The first being about Shirley Chisholm. The park is named after the late Brooklyn-born politician and educator who was the first African American Congresswoman, and the first woman and African American to run for President. Her accomplishments and contributions to our city and country are countless and inspiring.
As the trails continue other signage describes the ecosystem of Jamaica Bay and points out birds and other wildlife you may encounter during your visit. Besides walking and bike trails, the space offers picnic areas and fishing piers. Educational student tours and public tours are also available throughout the year.
I only managed to walk the trails by Penn Pier on the west side, the smaller section of the park. Next time, with a bike I’m ready to conquer the larger east side. My end goal being – bike from Rockaway to Shirley Chisholm State Park!
Shirley Chisholm State Park is located at 1750 Pennsylvania Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11239 – (212) 866-310
My husband hates my seasonal decorating obsession. He thinks it’s a waste of money, a waste of storage space and it’s plain ol’ silly. Despite this though, last year for our anniversary he bought me six huge mum plants from Lisena Garden Center (12-5 Cross Bay Blvd, Broad Channel). They looked beautiful on my porch. Adding the burst of yellow and orange color I needed to contrast the hay bundles and corn stalks in my fall harvest display. The flowers lasted well into late October.
I never understood why people throw chrysanthemums out after they pass bloom, they’re perennial. If you plant them in the ground over winter, mums will come back year-to-year. Maybe they’re not kept because of a garden space issue? It pains me to see them sitting curbside with the trash. A few times I’ve picked healthy ones out of the garbage pile in front of my neighbors homes to “save” them.
Last fall I planted my anniversary mums in the backyard. This spring they started growing! I was excited to see the plant come alive once more. Interestingly, I noticed buds developing in late July. This was so curious to me, as we all know, mums at our local nurseries in September are budding then.
After a few google searches I learned the causes of premature budding:
- Temperature: low temperatures initiate early flowers, high temperatures (above 90°F in the day and/or above 75°F at night) can delay flowering. Temperature change will override day length bloom cycles.
- Lack of water, too much fertilizer, other stressors such as blight can cause early bloom.
What I’ve deduced from the above is: the mums my husband purchased last year were most likely a cultivar that naturally bloom earlier, during longer days of more sunlight. I didn’t pay attention to watering so lack of water could also be a factor.
4Chrysanthemums cultivated for trade are grown in extremely controlled environments so that growers can coordinate bloom in the fall, making a profit, when this popular plant is sought after. Now I know and understand though, this perennial isn’t necessarily a late-blooming plant by nature.
My initial intention was to dig up the mums growing in the backyard for display and then replant again, using them year-to-year. But now that mine are in early bloom, I’ll have to purchase new mums in mid-September. So I’m back to spending unnecessary money on season decor but I look at it this way… I’m supporting local business which is important and it makes me happy as hell – so there you have it.
Follow me for the day-to-day around Rockaway on IG – @theglorifiedtomato
I had the exciting opportunity to collaborate on a design project for The Beach 91st Street Community Garden. For over a year, I’ve been eager to redesign our garden site map but haven’t had the time. I put an email out to my fellow community garden members to see if any creatives were interested in volunteering.
Member Walter Meyer responded and introduced me to Diana Erazo, who he taught at Parsons New School and subsequently hired as an intern at his company, Local Office Landscape & Urban Design (LOLA).
Some of you may know Walter from the lineup. Others may recognize his name from the important work his company spearheaded in Rockaway, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Walter Meyer is an urban designer, who co-founded LOLA, with Jennifer Bolstad in 2006. The company focuses on nature-based infrastructure to protect vulnerable communities from the impacts of man-made and natural disturbances. Walter was recognized by the White House as a “Champion of Change” for his work using alternate energy as a means of immediate relief and an engine for long-term economic recovery after Superstorm Sandy. And… he served as an advisor to President Barack Obama’s team until 2016.*
To say we are lucky to have Walter as a member of our garden here in Rockaway Beach is an understatement. And so, when he connected me with Diana, I was thrilled.
After reviewing Diana’s portfolio and accomplished resume, I sent her information to start the project: photos of the garden, the old site map, and a brief description of who we are as a community. I didn’t want to give too much creative instruction. I wanted Diana to ”run with it”. Her first round of designs were beautiful. We only had a few revisions. Diana’s attention to detail is impressive. As one example, our site map wasn’t to scale and she insisted on correcting that, using google maps as a reference. It was so refreshing to collaborate on this design project with an enthusiastic young person, entering her industry.
A big thank you to Diana Erazo for generously volunteering her time and to Walter Meyer for making the connection!
To learn more about the important projects LOLA is working on around our coastal community, visit www.localofficelandscape.com
To contact and to see more of Diana Erazo’s inspiring designs, follow her on IG: @diana2193, or visit her website: www.dcegdesign.com
