Monday, August 17, 2009

For the Love of the Perfect Tomato


For the city and suburban gardener the ripening tomato is a sure sign that a) they are not a total failure and b) the summer bounty is about to come tumbling on to our plate!

Having spent the greater part of the winter pouring over Maggie Stuckey and Rose Marie Nichols McGee's The Bountiful Container and inspired by my other "eat local" readings, I wishfully planted an array of fruits and veggies on our west facing deck. I am not going to lie, I am pretty proud of myself. We have numerous herbs, leafy greens, edible flowers, and the sweetest sugar snap peas. However, I could only smile politely at these gifts from the garden, and I quickly turned my attention back to pruning, staking, fertilizing, and generally fretting over the Sungold tomato plant. When the little green tomatoes grew and started to ripen, I got out the camera, and waited not so patiently with baited breath.


Photo #1 Giddy tomato mother awakes to a yellow tomato

Photo #2 Giddy tomato mother is grinning from ear to ear

Photo #3 Giddy tomato mother threatens husband if he eats the tomatoes

Photo #4 Perfectly ripened tomato is consumed! (I can no longer think of myself as a tomato mother)
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