Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

It's been kind of a funny growing season here in Utah this year. I'm not that into a big vegetable garden (not a whole lot of space, lots of clay soil and if you plant pumpkins or zucchini they make themselves at home across the entire back yard), so I usually only do a few vegetables in big terra cotta pots and place them in strategic spots around my yard.

Because this spring was so cool, I didn't plant my little garden until well after Memorial Day, which is kind of late for this area - we have a short growing season. I have 6 tomato plants, along with a few green and red peppers - my salsa garden. This entire summer I have only had 7 measly ripe tomatoes, including the 3 lousy cherry tomatoes that showed up on what was supposed to be an "Early Girl" plant. (I really hate cherry tomatoes -- what the heck are you supposed to do with them?!) I also got two tiny, one-inch green peppers, that I hid from my spouse so I wouldn't have to share.

Well, even though they haven't produced many ripe tomatoes, my tomato plants are veeeeeerrrryy healthy and thriving. In fact, one of my plants is so opulent and lush, it's downright scary -- I call her Audrey III.

Yes, folks -- this is ONE tomato plant!

Yesterday, when I was hopefully digging through Audrey's tentacle-like stems looking for just one ripe tomato, I was shocked and amazed to put my hands on this . . . .

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*Note the look of terror in Allie's eyes.

This incredible example of tomato-dom is called a "Mortgage Lifter". The Mortgage Lifter was developed in the 1940's by an auto repair mechanic, who was called Radiator Charlie. He crossed German Johnson Pink, Red Beefsteak, an unknown Italian variety and an unknown English variety of tomatoes together and the Mortgage Lifter was the result. Radiator Charlie Byles sold so many tomato plants over the next five or six years that he was able to pay off the mortgage of his home (hence the name).

They're not real pretty, being squatty and broad. They are also a funny color which is very pinkish and dull, but they are BIG and they taste great! This beauty weighed in at close to 3 lbs.!

I've greedily counted at least another 30 of these giant delicacies lurking beneath Audrey's thick foliage. Now, I just have to cross my fingers and hope that the weather will hold (despite the ominous prediction of snow down to 6000 ft. this weekend - we're at 4500 ft., but a big cold front is coming.)

I often end up canning several dozen bottles of green tomato salsa in the fall because I have to rush to pick the unripe tomatoes from the vines to save them from the frost in mid-to-late September. This year I'll say a quick prayer to the weather gods and hope that I'll be making fresh tomato salsa, fresh tomato sandwiches and eating sliced tomatoes with our Sunday dinner, instead of having to try to find room for 100+ jars of green tomato salsa.

There is one other force of nature I'll have to keep at bay, to keep my infant Mortgage Lifter's safe . . . . .

The voracious "Rusty Dog"!!! He stands accused of consuming 1 or 2 of my tomatoes straight from the vine -- all that was left were a few stems and a smear of juice on his lips. The little devil was certainly eyeing this tomato and even tried to take a big bite. (Seriously, I do have to watch Rusty around the tomatoes because they aren't too good for dogs and can cause heart irregularities, dilated pupils and other problems.)

This tomato, however, is now safely in my refrigerator marinating in a lovely pico de gallo to serve with tomorrow night's dinner. Ummmm. . . . .