My grandmother was the first person in our family to have a greenhouse. This is surprising since she was a nomad. No house of her own she moved between her children, cultivating according to the season and the facilities. I don’t remember if her tomato plants ever survived long enough in her absence to produce fruit, but the gnarled mouldy looking over-wintered geraniums always made it to produce a rebellious red profusion. Looking back I realise that I share her passion for growing things. We had a close bond, both of us living in insecure circumstances; she in other people’s homes and me at boarding school most of the time. I’m struck now by the casual cruelty of being shuttled back and forth between places it was clear never belonged to us.
When I got a greenhouse, it was there in the garden when we moved. I tried all kinds of ambitious things… melons, aubergines and peppers, all beyond my limited experience and quickly abandoned. But home grown tomatoes were my first success and are miraculous. They have a taste unlike their firm supermarket relatives.
Tomato plants will grow happily in pots, 25cm and bigger. Even seeds from supermarket tomatoes will germinate and produce fruit. But in a greenhouse they form a jungle like canopy literally dripping with fruit.
Ripe tomatoes peel easily but sometimes I don’t bother. I cut them in half and roast them cut side up , sprinkled with fresh thyme leaves, drizzled with olive oil. Sieved or whizzed in the food processor turns them into a thick purée, which I freeze in small pots.
Do you have a favourite recipe for cooked tomatoes?
Passata is a great standby to raise the taste of any meal, having a few pots of it in the freezer is a fantastic way to extend the summer harvest. We used to sieve the tomatoes but in the end gave up as it was just so messy but the end taste result was just as good!
Great photo! That's a no-nonsense woman if ever I saw one, or perhaps just a woman in her element.