The Great Tomato Book [Paperback]

Gary & NIelsen, Joan Ibsen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1999

A vine-ripened, juicy delight of a book from Gary Ibsen, founder of the renowned TomatoFest celebration in Carmel, California. Heirloom tomatoes are hot right now, and Ibsen gives history and cultivation information for such sweet delights as Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter, Boxcar Willie's, and Aunt Ruby's Yellow Cherry, among others. With 40-plus festival standout recipes, including Mu Shu Tomato Pillows on Spicy Slaw, Baked Tomato Tart, and, of course, Old-Fashioned Fried Green Tomatoes.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The authors tell us that there are about 34 million gardening households in the U.S., and of those, 93 percent grow tomatoes. Their book begins with tips for successful planting, and they recommend starting seeds indoors. They give advice on seed selection, soil preparation, designing a garden, trellising techniques, watering, organic fertilizing, and saving seeds. Ibsen also provides a glossary of his 85 favorite tomato varieties. Instructions on harvesting, drying, canning, and freezing tomatoes are also included in this photo-filled paperback, as well as 27 appetizing recipes. George Cohen

Review

"Can help you enormously" if you'¬?re interested in growing tomatoes.-Sunset Magazine'¬?s

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580080480
• ISBN-13: 978-1580080484
• Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 0.4 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,209 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #72 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Fruits

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fun easy beautifully presented to grow eat cook tomatoes, November 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great Tomato Book (Paperback)

This is the essential book on heirlooms. Easy to use and well organized, it's an entertaining and beautiful read. I loved it. It's on my reference shelf to use when I'm ready to plant, shop for the best tasting heirlooms, or prepare a special tomato dish. The clear descriptions and photographs helped me identify my individual preferences. I've tried some of the recipes and they've been a huge success. This is the basics of heirloom tomatoes in one short, simple, beautifully photographed and put together book. It's on my Christmas gift list-for David, Karen, Teri, Sherry and Lynn.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good overview - would have liked yield and maturity info, January 10, 2005

By 

M. Walton (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Great Tomato Book (Paperback)

This is a beautiful book. The pictures show many varieties of lush tomatoes. The recipies look delicious as well and I look forward to trying many of them this coming Summer. The author's general descriptions on certain varieties is nice as an overview. The book is really an overview of tomatoes and growing methods and fertilizers and offers specific recipies.

If the author would have included tomato info on time to maturity for each of his tomato descriptions, then the book would have been more helpful to those trying to plan out what varities to grow to space out harvesting. Now I have to bop between the book's tomato descriptions and some seed web-sites to figure out what to plant to get a relatively spaced harvesting, which I have to do often since the tomatoes described in the look comprise a long list. Also, it would have been nice to know which varieties were hybrids and which were heirlooms. I'm surprised the author didn't mention Red Brandywine in his list as the flavor is the same with a better yield and some say it's easier to grow than the pink variety.

The chapter of "Tomato Fest" could have been eliminated. I wasn't sure as it's purpose other than noting that the author liked to set up tastings.

The chapter on favorite soil amendments can be summarized as a description of the soil amendment (typically organic which is great) and then the use "apply to soil prior planting." Again, this was an overview and I would have liked to know why to use one over the other, how to use, etc.

If you're looking for a beautiful overview book on tomatoes, then this is it.

But if you've become passionate about tomatoes and not only want an overview, but also require better instructions on the "how to" of growing and seeding and access to to more specific info on the varieties themselves then check out "100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden" which is beautiful as well.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great overall book, May 16, 2001

By 

zyphlus "zyphlus" (concord, ca USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Tomato Book (Paperback)

Great book to learn which ones to grow and what soil should be ammended w/. Best all around tomato book i have and i have 15.