FREEBIE: Printable Tomato Garden-to-Table Chart–get FREE access right now!
From tomato soup to superb sauces to the perfect snack, find out how to select the ideal variety of tomatoes for your culinary needs with this printable Tomato Garden-to-Table Chart.
Dear Gardener,
Did you know that there are at least 4,000 varieties of tomatoes? By some counts, there may be nearly 10,000 varieties! That’s a lot of tomatoes, and they can be so different! Take the tiny Sungold tomato. This super sweet Cherry variety is the perfect afternoon snack. Straight from the vine, the Sungold tomato bursts in your mouth with a rich, tart, sugary flavor. By comparison, the Brandywine Pink tomato has a classic tomato flavor that’s almost spicy at times.
Then there are the different types of tomatoes: Beefsteak, Roma, Cherry, Grape, Green, Plum, and so on. These tomatoes all have different characteristics. Some, like Roma tomatoes, are ideal for making sauces and canning. If you want a good tomato for a BLT, Beefsteaks are your go-to.
Honestly, it can get a little overwhelming when you’re trying to decide which tomatoes to plant. Certainly, I’ve never met a tomato I didn’t like, but there’s no debate that a sun-ripened, homegrown tomato plucked right from the vine is better than anything you can get at the store. Plus, have you seen the prices on heirlooms at the grocery store? That’s reason enough to grow your own! But I digress.
When it comes time to select tomatoes, whether you’re thinking about your garden or planning dinner, the type and variety of tomato you choose can make a big difference in the success of your dish.
To make it easier to choose tomatoes for the garden each year, I started keeping a spreadsheet. I included categories for the kinds of tomatoes (such as Roma, Cherry, Beefsteak, etc.), plus things like whether a particular tomato was ideal for making sauce, salsa, or canning.
As my spreadsheet grew, so did my realization that a lot of people are understandably overwhelmed by the thousands of tomato choices! That’s where the Tomato Garden-to-Table Chart originated.
This full-color printable chart is more than just a list of my favorite tomatoes, though. You can find out which tomatoes to use in nine different culinary settings, whether you want to make salsa, soup, fried tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, or more.
How to use your FREE printable Tomato Garden-to-Table Chart
This FREE printable Tomato Garden-to-Table Chart is simple to use and lists more than 30 varieties of tomatoes. It’s practical, beautiful, and gives you the resources to feel confident in choosing and growing your favorite tomatoes. You’ll find out which tomatoes to use in nine different settings, whether you want to make salsa, soup, fried tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, or more.
Hurry, though. It’s time to start planting your tomatoes, so don’t wait on this! The Tomato Garden-to-Table Chart is here to help. Get yours NOW so you can enjoy your very own sun-ripened, garden-fresh tomatoes this year!
Sincerely,
Amanda MacArthur,
Senior Editor & Producer
Food Gardening Network
