Question
This year I have had a wonderful tomato crop.I have quite a few bags in my freezer,but need to know why the skins are so tough.  It's o.k. for the freezer because of removing the skins, but eating a fresh sliced tomato is terribe. I don't know what kind of plant, the sign said 68 day.They didn't go  without water at any time, sun from 12 noon till dark.  Any suggestions?  Thanks

Answer
Dear Darlene,
This is a drought year and even when the garden is watered, the skins are tough through a drought.  G-d's watering system is just better than ours; is all I can offer for an answer.  The skins on tomatoes are tougher this year, the okra is spinier this year, and the peppers are hotter this year, and from my experience, everything points to the fact that we have experienced an horrendous drought.
I wish I had a different answer and a suggestion, but in nearly 30 years of gardening, this is the answer I have witnessed.  
My suggestion is exactly what you are doing, or . . . blanch in boiling water for a few minutes and peel the tough skins off before eating.  That's what we've been doing.  Even the cucumber skins are tough and bitter this year.  
I wish you well and don't give up on gardening.
Kind Regards,
KD Liz
www.thelandofgoshen.com