Yup, the title is correct. We picked tomatoes in January. It’s crazy!
If you live in the Northeast then you probably have witnessed this confusing “Winter” weather. Usually in November you can feel the weather start to change but this year it didn’t hit. Then December came and I thought “Well, now it’s going to feel like Winter”. And on a few days, it did. But the majority of the days did not feel like Winter. Oh Christmas Eve we took a walk, me in short sleeves and Matthew in shorts. It was in the 70’s! ON CHRISTMAS EVE. I have to type that in caps to understand the craziness. December set temperature records across NYC, including Christmas day. Now it’s the beginning of January and I think it’s finally starting to feel like Winter. Winter, are you here? It’s me, Pamela. Snow if you can hear me.
Because of the lack of near frost temperatures and our schedule getting busy, this year we didn’t cut down our tomato plants like we usually do at the beginning of November. There were still some green tomatoes on the plants and the weather was still changing daily so we left the plants up. November came, December came, and the tomato plants stayed up. During the Winter we don’t visit the garden everyday so you can imagine my surprise when I checked it out one day and I saw all these tomatoes on the plants! Can you believe it? I thought the plants would be dead by now, but instead they’ve been on the roof making tomatoes! What busy plants…!
So with it finally feeling like Winter (40 degrees out today) and seeing the upcoming night time temperatures I took a basket to the garden this weekend and picked pounds of tomatoes. I can’t believe we were able to pick tomatoes in the beginning of January!
The green tomatoes will go into a shoe box in the closet where they’ll turn red in a few weeks. We really don’t need more tomato sauce (we have so much!) but I’ll never turn down anything we grow….!
The tomatoes aren’t the only confused plants in the garden, peppers have been growing too!
And the rose bushes are blooming…
And while we’re in the garden I’ll show you how the kale is doing. Matthew made a incredible kale and potato dinner last week that I’m going to ask him to make again so I can share the recipe.
Hope you enjoyed this unexpected visit to the garden! How’s your garden? Anything still growing?
[email protected] says
It was the same by us down in NC for Christmas – soo warm! I kind of hated it. It’s supposed to be chilly! haha But so awesome that you guys were still harvesting tomatoes!!
Mary @ LOVE the secret ingredient says
What a beautiful harvest! I ended up grabbing all of mine back in November, but I wonder how delicious they would have been if they could’ve ripened and grown until now! Hope you enjoy and can’t wait so see the recipes that come from it!
John/Kitchen Riffs says
Wow, how lucky is that! I did cut down my tomatoes, alas, and shouldn’t have — we’re still getting chard out of our garden, plus tons of parsley. Happy New Year!
Norma Chang says
Homegrown tomatoes in January, what a treat. Weather sure has been crazy, but extended the growing season by 2 months and my late planted radicchios formed solid heads, I still have lettuce growing in my window boxes.
Sophie says
That is great news! Those coloured tomatoes could have hangend into your Christmas tree,…Such lovely jewels! Mmmmmmmm!
Anna @ shenANNAgans says
It is the middle of summer for us, so my garden is in full bloom at the mo. But I do remember a winter that our tomato plants still had fruit when it was practically snowing, how does that even work? We were not watering them or anything. Either way, it was a good kind of weird we all enjoyed very much. Hope you dig your unseasonal bounty too. Hugs from Down Under. x
Suzanne says
Up until last week my roses were still blooming, my geranium too. Love that you can have tomatoes in January, So cool!!
Jennifer says
I live out on Long Island and I’m so ready for the cold winter this week. Do you think the odd temperatures and time will have an effect on the taste of the tomatoes?
Pamela says
Hey Jennifer, I would say they are not as juicy as a August tomato, but for sauces they’re great. I even cut them up for tacos and throw in casseroles and they taste good.
Jamie | The Kitchenarium says
WOW! Fresh BLTs in December is like a dream come true. We have had a very mild winter in Nebraska too. I harvested Jalapeno and shishito peppers in November, I couldn’t believe it! Now I am wishing I wasn’t so hasty in pulling my tomatoes in September!
grace says
our tomato vines are officially dead, but it’s so cool that you’re still reaping! it’s been a weird weather season, that’s for sure!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
Wow, that is crazy but in the best possible way. We bought some strawberries the other day and they were the best strawberries we have had in years and at this time of the year too!
Happy New Year!
Louise says
Oh my gosh Pamela. You’ve answered the question I’ve been asking myself for weeks. if I didn’t chop down the tomato plants, would they have “blossomed” with this unseasonable warm weather?”
Oh how lucky for you “guys.” I can just imagine your surprise when you feasted your eyes on all that beauty.
Thank you so much for sharing, you made my night!
P.S. Just got our first sprinkling of snow “as we speak.”