Can't wait for my tomatoes to grow up so I can make salsa. I stopped buying tomatoes in the store years ago. I just wasn't worth spending money on something so tasteless. I haven't grown them for a couple of years now, but I bought a couple of heirloom tomatoes over at Green Arrow a few weeks ago - one is Amish Paste, a plum tomato, and the other is Brandywine Red Potato Leaf, a rounder tomato. The Amish Paste has smaller leaves and has grown about 2 1/2 times larger than the Brandywine. Right now it's full of flowers that will soon turn to tomatoes. The Brandywine has much larger leaves (like a potato plant - hence the name I guess) and currently has only one flower on it.
I haven't grown either of these varieties before. I usually grow the Early Girl. Thought I'd try something different this year. If I like them I'll save the seeds and grow them next year. Someone taught me about saving tomato seeds (or anything with very small seeds) - you just spread the seeds from the whole tomato out on a paper towel and let them dry really well. Later, when you want to plant, just tear off a piece of the paper towel, lay it in a small pot with soil and cover lightly with more soil. All (or most) of the seeds will sprout and when they get big enough you can thin them out and transplant them into another pot or into the garden.
