I processed at least 60 pounds of tomatoes today, running them through my food mill to remove the seeds and skins. I wound up with nearly 10 pounds of skins and seeds left over, which I froze in 2 pound bags, I'll use them in place of canned tomatoes in beef stock recipes this winter. (I got some nice beef shank bones at the Farmer's Market a week ago, so I'm ready for cooler weather.)

I've got a 12 quart and a 16 quart pot of tomato sauce reducing on the stove overnight. Not sure how much they'll need to reduce, hopefully I'll wind up with 12-15 quarts of sauce for the freezer.

The tomatoes came from the test gardens at the University of Nebraska, the grad students running those tests said they picked over 1000 pounds of tomatoes today. The variety is Defiant, which is in the seed catalogs. It's a determinate with good disease resistance and a long season, the vines grow to 3-4 feet and produce 8-10 ounce red fruits that are very meaty. I may have her get a second batch of them the next time they pick, on Friday. I saved a few for slicing, BLT's may be on the menu tomorrow.

I only put in 4 tomato plants this year, and they're just starting to produce, so I was glad to get the ones from UNL. (Fringe benefits of my wife working for Agronomy and Horticulture.)

She also brought home some sweet corn from the test gardens, I think it's the best sweet corn we've had this season, too bad they're just about at the end of the season.

There are several things that can cause brown spots on tomatoes, while some are fungal infections, most are related to having soil issues, watering issues or heat stress. (A hailstorm can also bruise tomatoes.) If it's widespread in the area, the weather-related issues are the most likely cause.

Your county extension service can help diagnose the problem and recommend solutions.

We've had problems here with blossom end rot, which is a calcium deficiency. It's actually possible to have too much nitrogen in the soil for tomatoes. I let my tomato garden go fallow again this year, it's got mostly alfalfa in it this year. Last year it had a mix of alfalfa and buckwheat. (Boy, do bees LOVE buckwheat flowers!)

I think I may let it sit idle for another season, or possibly plant something that's not in the nightshade family, which includes tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and eggplant. (Unfortunately, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are what I have the most experience growing.)

I've been getting a pound or two of tomatoes at the farmers market about once a week, that's been enough for the two of us. But I do miss those sun-warmed tomatoes picked and eaten moments later.

I wound up with about 10 quarts of tomato sauce out of all those tomatoes, I filled 20 containers of various sizes, from a few tablespoons up to 2 quarts, and they're all in the freezer. I tasted a few teaspoons of the sauce, it's going to be really good in recipes this winter.

I told my wife before she brings home more tomatoes, I need to see if we've got any space left in the freezer for more sauce.

The Defiant tomatoes were really good with some tuna salad in them, too. I may try to grow them next year.