By Craig Valli
Tomatoes feature big, bold, and often in my family traditions and stories.
They are a vivid part of my childhood recollections…
Planting them, picking them, eating them fresh from the vine and for those that made it to the kitchen, cooking them up and preserving them.
So naturally tomatoes are always included in my garden, along with all the other ingredients you need for Italian recipes. I enjoy finding old and new varieties to plant each season and I apply the lessons I gathered as a child from being with my Nonno, Nonna and family in the market gardens and on our farm. My wife and I enjoy using the family recipe to make our annual supply of sugo di pomodoro.
Today I add to these tried and true, age old techniques with new research and findings to help the garden thrive. There are so many varieties and colours to choose from now, but I still have my favourites and you need the right tomato for the job! It is great to share ideas and tips with other gardeners and know while we make every effort to be cyber secure in our world, that our gardens are helping us to have food security as well.