NikonGear'23
Images => Nature, Flora, Fauna & Landscapes => Topic started by: Bjørn J on August 03, 2015, 18:03:39
-
I went out to pick some tomatoes in our little greenhouse, but there were more than I thought so I had to bring them home in my hat :)
-
I bet they are tasteful no matter what colour they come in ....
-
You bet they are. Even more so in warmer and more sunny summers than the one we have now. We can not buy tomatoes in the shop anymore, they taste nothing!
Amazingly lots of people believe all tomatoes are red and round. I think my wife has 21 different species in our little 12 square meters greenhouse :)
-
Very interesting tomatoes!
-
Tasty Tomatoes. That is the real thing
-
The tomatoes in the stores here look fantastic, but taste like water. We have only about 16 different varieties in our garden :( . We get tomatoes all year round ;) (less in winter than summer, but there are always some ready to eat.)
-
Gary. Lucky you with fertile soil and climate!
-
Gary. Lucky you with fertile soil and climate!
Yes, I am lucky. I've lived in Europe, Asia and Central America ... but nothing beats California weather, geography and wine.
-
Those are beautiful tomatoes, Bjørn J !!! That large dark red one appears to be a Cherokee Purple ?? I also am a fan of the older, interesting heirloom varieties of tomato. It is so cool that your wife has a greenhouse. Someday I would like to have one also.
-
Thanks Andrea!
The big dark ones are two different species, those with the "cracks" on the skin are Black Russian, the other two are Big Red Rainbow. The others are Polen, Idil, Sungold, Tomatoberry, Tigerella, Yellow Ruffled and maybe some more that only my wife knows the name of :)
-
I don't know about others, but I get a lot of joy using the stuff I grow.
-
I don't know about others, but I get a lot of joy using the stuff I grow.
;D
-
Tomatoes Porn ;)
-
Never seen the black Russian. Thanks for sharing!
-
Nice shot - nice tomatoes.
Mayumi has several varieties in her greenhouse, but not 21; I'm jealous. But this year has been a very good year here for greenhouse-raised tomatoes, in spite of the very cool temperatures and lack of sunshine.
-
Nice shot - nice tomatoes.
Mayumi has several varieties in her greenhouse, but not 21; I'm jealous. But this year has been a very good year here for greenhouse-raised tomatoes, in spite of the very cool temperatures and lack of sunshine.
The opposite here - cold and cloudy, and not a good year for our tomatoes so far. But in 2014 we harvested the last ones on October 30, so there is still hope :)
(And Berit makes the most delicious jam of all the green (not ripe) tomatoes mixed with organic oranges!)
-
I cannot afford a greenhouse, so my poor veggies have to weather the climate with their own means. How about some photos of your greenhouse? How do you induce pollination?
-
You live in California? I can't imagine you need a greenhouse there :)
(Probably a bigger problem to get enough water to the poor plants)
As for pollination, on sunny days we have windows and doors open, so some insects find their way. But on tomatoes it's usually enough to shake them a bit - the tomato dance :)
Here's some mobile-phone photos (not the last one) from the greenhouse.
-
Man, your greenhouse and veggies look wonderful. We do have glaciers here in California (but I live hundred of miles away and 14,000 feet lower from the glaciers).
I would love to have a greenhouse. But on the flip-side-of-the-coin, your are right regarding our need, as we are growing everything from orchids and plumeria on one side of the spectrum to apples and berries on the other side.
I love your greenhouse, both inside and out.
-
Gary. Lucky you with fertile soil and climate!
Yes, I am lucky. I've lived in Europe, Asia and Central America ... but nothing beats California weather, geography and wine.
May I read this as an invitation to visit?
-
The last set of pictures makes me want to buy a farm or a greenhouse ant least. Thank you Bjørn
-
Gary. Lucky you with fertile soil and climate!
Yes, I am lucky. I've lived in Europe, Asia and Central America ... but nothing beats California weather, geography and wine.
May I read this as an invitation to visit?
JA, JA und JA!!! I would love to show you my California.
From the tallest mountain in the Continental United States, (Mt. Whitney), you can peer down to the lowest spot in North America, (Death Valley). The oldest living trees (Bristlecone Pines), the largest trees (Sequoias), the largest birds in North America (California Condor), the largest creature to have ever lived on Earth, (Blue Whale), all reside in California.
Year round, Arguably ... San Diego has the best climate in the world, California Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway), is the most scenic highway in the world and Yosemite is the most beautiful spot in the world. I could go on ...
PS- (I hope you like Mexican food. Some of the best is here.)
PPS- And the wines ... OMG ... the wines are astonishingly wonderful and affordable.
-
PPS- And the wines ... OMG ... the wines are astonishingly wonderful and affordable.
True, Californian wines have become much better the last years, some are absolutely upper class. Actually I opened a bottle of white Rabbit Ridge yesterday. Not very expensive, and very different from for example typical German white, but it was very, very good.
-
PPS- And the wines ... OMG ... the wines are astonishingly wonderful and affordable.
True, Californian wines have become much better the last years, some are absolutely upper class. Actually I opened a bottle of white Rabbit Ridge yesterday. Not very expensive, and very different from for example typical German white, but it was very, very good.
Wines are hard to ship. There is such a big market here that our wines don't go very far. The better wines don't get much beyond the tasting rooms and are mostly sold regionally to merchants and restaurants. If you have a chance, watch the movie Bottle Shock. We have been bettering the French for decades. The movie is very entertaining. I grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir in the yard. They are much more tasty than my table grapes (Thompson, Flame, Concord).
When I lived in Paris, arguing over wines, California verses France ... was a hot topic and discussed often.
-
Wines are another of my interests and you are right about transport of food in general.
the best fruit and tomatoes are the ones you pick ripely from the bush and tree
The best meals I prepared were living on an organic farm in the 1980ies. I took a knife and basket and got the ingredients
from our Garden. The goats I helped raise and did slaughter and butcher. What a feast for the senses!
unfortunally I have very few pictures of that time.
-
When I lived in Paris, arguing over wines, California verses France ... was a hot topic and discussed often.
Did you ever get a someone from France to admit that Californian wines are as good or better than French? ;D
-
Wines are another of my interests and you are right about transport of food in general.
the best fruit and tomatoes are the ones you pick ripely from the bush and tree
The best meals I prepared were living on an organic farm in the 1980ies. I took a knife and basket and got the ingredients
from our Garden. The goats I helped raise and did slaughter and butcher. What a feast for the senses!
unfortunally I have very few pictures of that time.
I am now making my breads from scratch, (I even use free-range yeast) and most everything fresh, comes from the garden. I have a ton of herbs and everything gets 'herbed' up ... the herbs have raised the taste a magnitude higher. I recently acquired a Komado style grill ... and that has raised the taste another magnitude. I have avocados, Naval, Valencia and Mandarin oranges, Meyer Lemons, Apples and Persimmons. I have peppers from hot to sweet, artichokes, veggies, berries and melons. I'm even making bathtub orange liqueur that I use in my Margaritas and Sangria. Every meal I make uses significant food/seasons from the garden. It is the best for your health and for the tongue.
I find it simply amazing that Bjørn is growing such stuff in such a cold place.
I get multiple crops a year from my trees (except the persimmon). Right now I only have a few lemons hanging on the tree ... but little green fruit is already appearing. (I make the best orange-lemonade in the world- lol.)
-
When I lived in Paris, arguing over wines, California verses France ... was a hot topic and discussed often.
Did you ever get a someone from France to admit that Californian wines are as good or better than French? ;D
LOL ... almost. I was attending another dinner party, this one in the Parisian countryside. It was held in my honor ... (for no other reason than my friends ran out of other reasons). We were on the last course, cheese and Champagne. Borfiga, the host, was standing up with the first bottle and was starting to remove the wire.
I was sitting directly across from him and I softly said, in almost a whisper, "Six".
Borfiga stops and looks at me, "Qu'avez-vous dit?"
"Six", I said in a normal tone, "That wire has six twists. All Champaign wires have six twists."
At that, Borfiga repeatedly hits his glass with his spoon until all was silent. "L'Américain dit qu'il existe six torsades sur le liège ... Nous allons découvrir." With a Frenchman's flourish Borfiga announces "Un ... Deux ... Trois ... Quatre ... Cinq ... ... ... Six ...", and the wire fell off. Borfiga smiles and looks at me and waving his hand announces "France acquises to California".
That was the closest I got. ;)
(Netflix Bottle Shock)
-
PPS- And the wines ... OMG ... the wines are astonishingly wonderful and affordable.
True, Californian wines have become much better the last years, some are absolutely upper class. Actually I opened a bottle of white Rabbit Ridge yesterday. Not very expensive, and very different from for example typical German white, but it was very, very good.
Rabbit Ridge is up in Paso Robles, about two hours from my house. I have never partaken of a Rabbit Ridge, but Paso Robles and the nearby Santa Rita Hills, is home to the best Pinots in the world. We often drive up and make a day of exploring the wineries, tasting rooms and restaurants in that area.
(https://nikongear.net/revival/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.garyayala.com%2FTravel%2FLos-Olivas-7812%2Fi-FdvFJdp%2F0%2FO%2FP7080032.jpg&hash=6df05c9ce4daa82841cef5d7b96316fbe689d13a)
-
Thanks, seeing where the grapes have grown gives me a closer relationship with the wine ;D
-
He he, Gary...
What really matters in life is to be happy where you live and with the people surrounding you. Obviously, you have found your dream place.
I am convinced I don't live in the ideal place (much too close to Paris!) but nevertheless, I still have to find another country whose wines beat French wines based on my own taste, on average.
I've lived in your country long enough to know that France is not alone (I have great memories of excellent American bottles, and not only from California) but come on... (Just teasing you).
I wonder if an admin should not step in and decide if such discussions pertaining to religion are OK or not.
Anyway, I am vacationing in Britanny right now, and the lady owning the nice house we are renting brought to us a large box filled with old species of tomatoes as a welcome gift, just like the ones shown by Björn. Delicious, as some edible things originated from the Americas can be.
Too late for a photo though!
-
Olivier, of course your are right regarding "happy'. I hope I didn't offend you with my enthusiasm for California, but I love this place. As to wine, like photography we all see differently ... with wine we all taste differently. I learned from Robert Mondavi, a pioneer of California wine, (another story), that wine is to be enjoyed not revered. If your taste buds favor French ... that's fine. If your taste buds favor California that's okay too. What is important, and the only thing that is important, is that you enjoy what you're drinking. My wine comments, were made not only from personal experience, but also from reading the results from blind tasting competitions between French and California wines. The contest was held in France with French judges ... and California won.
This is where it all started:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judgment_of_Paris_(wine)
Again, watch the movie Bottle Shock.