It's September.
Summer is starting to wind down here in Yonkers.
But even as my Green Zebras and Black Brandywines are starting their final ripening, with few new flowers, the Kiesels (named in honor of legendary chef Marcia Kiesel, who gave us a handful of seeds that have, shockingly, continued to produce plants years after the last seed was planted!), are just starting to ripen!
And the plants themselves are enormous and growing, covered with blossoms as well as fruit. These are Czech oxheart heirlooms: huge, meaty, teardrop-shaped tomatoes with a hauntingly old-fashioned tomato flavor. They take forever to ripen, but OMG are they worth the wait. Though we're shocked every year when these plants reappear - as if by magic - our gratitude is off the charts.
Thank you, Marcia Kiesel! You are the gift that keeps on giving!
