Tomato processing continues – and continues and continues. At this point I can only give a rough estimate that about 1,500 batches were harvested, with perhaps 600 batches still to go? In terms of varieties from the 2023 season, there are now seeds of 275 varieties that have been extracted, dried, packaged, and inventoried – that is, ready for shipping! This means that there are around 258 additional varieties of unknown status: all plants died without producing tomatoes for seed saving; unknown because of off-types, tag mix-ups, or poor record keeping; or, in most cases, I’m just too $&*^% slow with seed extraction work.
Here is where to keep up with the latest list of seeds ready to go:
DT Current List of Tomato Seeds
Case in point (aka, “another day in the life…)
December 25th:
5:30 a.m. – Up (cold winter morning), committed to ignoring the rest of the world, left computer off and phone off all day so I could focus on one task.
5:45 a.m. – Began processing tomatoes
Interruptions from urges to eat and compulsion to sleep (unwanted, unwelcome, and very inconvenient naps)
9:30 p.m. – Exhaustion (again…), quit processing after ONLY 30 batches completed.😵💫
Some of the larger, complex batches can take an hour or more. Smallest batches are 10 minutes minimum. Average 3-4 batches per hour.
On the bright side, I finished listening to a very interesting and educational audiobook by one of my former colleagues, Jared Diamond (yes, once upon a time I was an ornithologist and endangered species biologist…), Guns, Germs and Steel. In part, it’s a deep history of agriculture around the world. And I listened to dozens of short stories (Librivox Short Story Collections – I have now listened to almost all of them).
This means that a day alone with nose to grindstone did not feel like punishment, but like serious self-indulgence!
A late planting of garlic. Figs in the dead of winter – such a delicious snack! Very small potted shrub moved into cellar under 400-watt metal halide light, along with Carolina Reaper pepper plants (year after year, just seems too cool at this elevation of 6,200’ and climate for this heat-loving variety) and potted plants of several varieties of basil (started from seed on July 3rd – they just did not have time for seeds to mature and dry out before frost).
One of the more remarkable and interesting new tomato finds of 2023 was Tomat de Penjar Piel de Melocoton, which translates from Catalan to “Hanging tomato, peach skin”. This was a very productive variety with 2-3 oz., peach-colored fruits with fuzzy skin and excellent flavor: rich, fairly sweet, and memorable. Most remarkable, the “Penjar” part means this is a long-keeper class of tomatoes bred for hanging through the winter. That is, large branches, or the entire plant can be cut off and hung in a cool place – such as a garage, cellar, or cold house – for delayed harvest all winter long! And today (December 31st), the fruits still taste delicious, with far more juiciness and flavor than one might expect 3-4 months after harvest!
What is this fascination with living things? Maybe it’s that I have no time for pets, so fruit flies and their babies are the closest I come to companionship? Here’s a video of dark-eyed fruit flies, or some other fly species I’ve not yet identified, taken on December 31, 2023.
Overall, 2023 was a very good year, with a significant increase in requests for seeds from gardeners around the world. More than 50 people donated time to help with planting, tying up vines, harvesting, processing, and seed packaging. Compensation was mostly seeds, seedlings, and fresh veggies, with a few dedicated, hard workers also getting some $ compensation.
Yet somehow, my time-management skills are still sorely lacking, and I will have to cut back dramatically on how much I grow in 2024 — or else… ”Over-extended” is an under-statement. ”Drawn-and-quartered” is a bit too graphic for a family-friendly blog post; but from an emotional perspective, it’s a fair fit.
I’m just not inclined to set goals for 2024, as I’m still slogging through mounds of unfinished work from 2023. May the sun stand still for me, but not for thee!
Delectation of Tomatoes, etc. 
I always enjoy your updates!
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