Monday, August 18, 2008

Our first tomato

Jim handed me the first red tomato from the vine.

We started our relationship with this tomato over the winter when we planted their seeds in soil and put them under grow lights. And we regularly check on their water and light levels. Jim and I were excited to see the first sprouts and laughed when nearly all of the 100 or so seeds turned into little plants. We found homes for some of our overabundance of sprouts and planted the rest in our brand new box that Jim designed and built just for these plants. We've been cautious about weeding and watering. We've treated these plants very well. I don't think J-Lo gets better care while she's touring. If they asked for pink M&M's and a handspun silver boa, our tomato plants would get pink M&M's and the prettiest handspun silver boa, darn it.

I turned the first red tomato over in my hand admiring it, and feeling proud of our journey.

Then Willa asked for it.

I watched her, only the week before, eat 7 tomatoes from my parent's garden.

She put it in her mouth, bit down, spit it on to the driveway, and walked away.

Jim and I looked at each other. He told me he wanted to share it with me. We looked at the fruit, chewed up and spit out on the driveway.

On some days, this is a good simile for parenting.

Over the weekend Jim and I ate the second and third (nearly - we couldn't wait) red tomatoes.

And they were fantastic.

Send your recipes and preservation techniques my way please, folks. Over the next few weeks, we're going to be up to our elbows in tomatoes.

3 comments:

Keri said...

You know how for months now, you've been comparing your baby to various forms of produce? I thought this was a baby update when I read the title. But, nope. Its about an actual tomato! ;-)

I lost the vast majority of my tomatoes to either disease or deer this year. But we did get to eat five. And there may possibly be a few more coming that will make it to harvest time. Five (or more) tomatoes is better than no tomatoes, right?

apt said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
apt said...

Keri, we're way past tomatoes in fetus-ville. Baby Sinki is now the weight of a cabbage and about 15 inches long, according to the lastest email.
And let me know in a few weeks if you'd like some tomatoes. We'll be giving them away, I'm sure.