Guy beside me at work lost his whole tomato crop to the filthy buggers- he got exactly one hierloom before they wiped him out- his wife wont let him shoot them

Rats in designer coats.

I tried something a little different, whenever I would bread anything with Italian bread crumbs and eggs I take the leftover breadcrumbs and eggs and mix them together and fry like hush puppies.

So I was getting hungry around lunch time and had a thought as dangerous as that is I did !

I thought I would make the same thing but add some eggs and a small amount of bell pepper.

I chopped up a few green and red tomatoes into small cubes and a small bell pepper into tiny pieces and added some garlic and onion powder, and mixed. then I added 4 eggs and enough Italian bread crumbs to form patty's, the good kind Progresso brand. I added enough to be able to make a patty about 3/8" thick. I then cooked them in a little oil until brown on each side.

I used just enough egg and breadcrumbs to hold it together, I wanted the tomato flavor more than anything, I had a few people try them and everyone liked them....so I was thinking it would be even better if I added some chopped onions and some crab meat or shrimp, going to try one of those next time.

They were pretty good, I got the idea after breading some green tomatoes a few days ago, I love to eat and always like to try something new especially if I have all the ingredients already.

TOUCHDOWN!!!!!!!!!! a buddy brought me 3 huge hierlooms today- also got 1-1/2 lbs of fresh 15 count shrimp from charleston. Gonna be some srrious eating around here tonight. pan sear the shrimp in butter garlic and white wine- make an iceberg/beefsteak tomato/blue cheese salad- can't wait.

got a good source for hierlooms until they run dry.

winchester21:

TOUCHDOWN!!!!!!!!!! a buddy brought me 3 huge hierlooms today- also got 1-1/2 lbs of fresh 15 count shrimp from charleston. Gonna be some srrious eating around here tonight. pan sear the shrimp in butter garlic and white wine- make an iceberg/beefsteak tomato/blue cheese salad- can't wait.

got a good source for hierlooms until they run dry.

Sounds good winchester.  Enjoy.  You were right about the squirrels.....wife spotted one today jumping from the patio table to the tomatoe plant.  I have one tiny green tomatoe left and he knows where that one is  I guess I will pull them up in the next day or so

I waited all year for this tomato I'm eating right now (BLT). Along with some sweet corn. Life is good.

Tarheel:

Sounds good winchester.  Enjoy.  You were right about the squirrels.....wife spotted one today jumping from the patio table to the tomatoe plant.  I have one tiny green tomatoe left and he knows where that one is  I guess I will pull them up in the next day or so

Sounds like you need a good recipe for squirrels .

BLTs tonite- KILLER Hierlooms. The other ingredients can be average but the tomatoes make the day. These were almost purple in color.

Fresh Okra with black beans and chicken last night- Another summer treasure.

Tarheel- How many squirrels have you whacked???????? One is trying to chew a hole in my roof. His days are numbered.

Had to work today-&*^^$!!!!!!!!!!- Woke up to an alarm clock radio broadcast of a local garden show. Every single call fo 30 minuts was squirrels eating tomatoes. One guy said that he planted cherry tomatoes as bait and they left his hierlooms alone. I prefer the pellet gun.

Fried RED tomatoes on white toast. Ummmmmmm good. Be careful they really hold the heat, kinda like tomato napalm. I can eat a whole mess of those suckers. Raw tomatoes aren't too bad smothered with some nice blue crab cocktail either.

Thanx, Russ  

Well I have 4 huge plants. 2 of those are Paul Robeson heirloom plants and they have only a single tomato between them. I read up on the things and they say that I need to control the 'suckers' to improve the yield. All of the plants are indeterminate types meaning and they will keep growing more vine if left alone. The suckers come up out of the crotch from the main stem. So, today I started pinching my suckers on all the plants. Hopefully I'll get less growth and more fruit (these are fruits aren't they?). They still demand huge amounts of water. I suppose some fertilizer would be helpful too. Any fertilizer suggestions?

My tomatoes are gone thanks to those little gray critters.  I still go by a lot of roadside stands and can get all I want but its not the same as eating your own home grown.  Oscar, I used Peters fertilizer at least once a week but anything would probably work.  Love those hierlooms.

Winchester....bring that pellet rifle with you if you get down to the coast this fall and we can cook up a squirrel stew.  What wine would you pair with that?

Hmmm....crab meat....good suggestion Russ.

Gosh- to think at one time I used to kill the varmits for table meat when I was like 8 or 9 years old.Tasted better than fried fat back or Souse meat which were the other choices except for an occasional fresh chicken or maybe a piece of fired country style round steak.Back then they were not half bad cooked woth dumplings.What a time warp.  A Petite Shrah or a Croz Hermitage just in case they taste gamey..Something like Renquist or The Prisoner. Will stop a charging Cape buffalo in his tracks.

Personally- I will opt for a nice slab of blackened puppy drum with some 10 count shrimp.washed down with a Sav blanc or a cold beer..Costal treat.

My buddy just brought back some 8-10s caught in Charleston yesterday. He is going to Africa next Tuesday for 3 weeks so the fresh shrimp party is going south.

The roadside hierlooms here are great- eating them daily.Having some tonite as part of steak Fahitas and fresh salsa.

Crab meat- I'm drooling all over the keyboard. Nothing here worth eating.

Cherry are my favorites and yes we grow them ourselves...along with a lot of other fruits and vegetables.

farmers market had some monster red and purple Hierlooms today- scored a bagfull. Also some nice vadallia onions and some silver queen corn.

Shrimp came from carolina beach- 16-24 count- but nice and fresh.

Hey winchester.....had some of those Charlotte farmers market hierloom tomatoes tonight.  Wife's sister and brother-in-law are vacationing at Figure Eight Island and brought a basketful.  Not bad.  Big ol purple tomatoes with sliced cucumbers and bleu cheese.