Summer Tomatoes, better than New Jersey!

All 12 tomatoes lined up in a row

Nothing in the food world tastes more like Summer than a juicy tomato (except maybe corn right from the farmer)!  Growing up in Pennsylvania, I always thought New Jersey had us beat on growing the best tomatoes.  Each trip to the Shore meant a chance to sample the Jersey Tomato.   It was so full of flesh/meat and less with juice and seeds.  When you bit into a Jersey Tomato, "Mmmmmm!" came out involuntarily.  That was, until this year.  Sorry NJ!  I don't know if it was the lack of rain, or my own garden, but I was rather unexcited with my Jersey tomatoes I purchased this year.  In the meantime, my own tomatoes think they're from the Jersey Shore!  They have that Jersey taste.  I wish I knew how I did it.  Maybe it was the extra hot sun or the watering.  Perhaps it was the special tomato growing formula I purchased this year.  Whatever the reason, my plants are producing not only an abundance of tomatoes, but they're yummy!  When I slice one open, it is thick red tomato inside with very little "run-off" as I call the excessive seeds and juice from store-bought tomatoes. 

The only challenge this year was the ground hog that would eat them just as they ripened.  So I had to pick them a day or two early.  This past week, I noticed the stink bugs starting to come back.  They too love tomatoes.  However, we love them more than any groundhog or stink bug so I plan to win the battle.  Meanwhile, anyone local want to swap tomatoes for something you're growing?