Garrison Keillor, one of my favourite writers, explains at length about the noble virtues, and superior taste, of home-grown tomatoes.
He describes his neighbour in Lake Wobegon, Mrs Luger - who "starts off with twenty little tomato plants in May... and by July she feels she has set something in motion which is getting out of hand...the pressure cooker has been running full blast for days, they are out of lids, but vegetables fill up the counter, the fridge, quarts have been canned - still more tomatoes move in...."I like to have extra just in case, and it's also nice to have some to give away" says Mrs Luger, he hair melted onto her head from an afternoon of canning. BUT EVERYONE ELSE HAS SOME TO GIVE AWAY!
That's how my mother felt too...One night she and I snuck over to the Tollefson's after lights went out and left half a bushel of tomatoes on their back step"
GK goes on to describe how people become desperate to give away their glut of tomatoes- and "bags of Christian tomatoes" are deposited in the Lutheran church on a Sunday morning, in the hopes that someone [anyone!] will take them.
Well, I am sorry to say that my first attempt to grow tomatoes here in Leicestershire has not been as productive. We got back from holiday last night and there were about a dozen [cherry sized]tomatoes ripe for picking, and four squashed, rotten ones at the base of the two plants.
However, despite my failures at this horticulture business, other people are very gifted. When we were at Cornerstones, we discovered Sunday was the Village Show. Our neighbours Barbara and David entered a number of items. Barbara's baking and preserves won various prizes, as did David's photographs - and his tomatoes. he won first prize for 'three specimens' and third prize in the 'best truss' class!
Just before we left yesterday, David kindly popped over with a punnet of toms for us "We've got far more than we can eat" he said!
Don't they look lovely? That'll be salad for lunch today then!
They are pretty! Our son tried to grow some in his tiny back garden. One day his daughter (she was only 18 months old!) picked them all! Every cherry tomato was gone in one little picking session! I shall grow them next year. We have the over abundance problem with zucchini, but I think rabbits may have found mine. They don't like the yellow squash. xopp
ReplyDeleteAnd the smell of home grown tomatoes is something else - mmmm. Maybe next year you'll fare better with your plants Angela. We haven't had a particularly good climate this year have we! xxx
ReplyDeleteOh me too, Angela! My freezer is full, so the next step is to make chutney. Then what?!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth - I just made some chutney with apples picked on holiday. The next step for me was to wash the kitchen floor after the box I put the jars in collapsed. Glass and sticky chutney EVERYWHERE! Fortunately the majority of my handiwork remains unshattered.
ReplyDeleteCal - I hope your right about the climate being the cause of my poor crop
PP - my courgettes/zucchini just haven't grown at all, I cannot blame rabbits!!
"Only two things money can't buy,
ReplyDeleteThat's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
--Guy Clark, wonderful Texas singer/songwriter
I'm sorry your tomatoes weren't a success. Tomatoes are the only reason I get through the summer with my sanity in tact.
frances
What a great quote, Frances!
ReplyDelete