Sadly we’re getting to the end of the summer tomato season, so make sure you get every bit of goodness out of the wonderful heirloom fruit we received this week. For ideas, check out the recipes in our archive and the journal entry from earlier this week for great tomato ideas.
The home of Thomomys bottae, aka Mr. Pocket Gopher
After years of limited success with our tomato garden, this spring my husband devoted himself to the task of raising some really excellent fruit. He read websites and articles, talked to friends and gardeners, gleaning every morsel of useful advice he could find. It wasn’t long before he decided some radical change was needed, including a new location for our raised beds along with chicken wire lining to keep out the gophers. Soon after, he was hauling in fresh dirt by hand and enriching it with odd items like aspirin and eggshells. By mid-May our plants looked glorious, full and lush, covered in delicate yellow flowers and abundant green orbs. We gazed out on the newly fertile earth with pride, in anticipation of the literal fruits of his labors.
More ideas for cooking with the freshest fruits and vegetables, harvested today and delivered to you…
Strawberries and Raspberries – we never have difficulty using up our berries – popping them into our mouths as soon as they enter the house. We rinse the lot, keeping the stems on, and set them in a small colander on the counter top. Anyone who walks through the kitchen can grab one for a quick, sweet bite, then toss the top into the compost pot (or the guinea pig cage for a rodent treat).
One summer day, not too long ago, we returned home from a shopping excursion and noticed a large package sitting on the front step. As I grabbed our groceries out of the car, the kids ran ahead to check out the gift that had arrived in our absence. Turns out the package was actually an ordinary brown shopping bag, which, when opened, revealed a large, well actually huge, dark green zucchini hiding inside. We examined the bag for a note or any trace of who might have left the gigantic treasure behind. Nothing – no evidence, except perhaps some invisible fingerprints requiring special equipment and a crime lab for analysis.
Strawberries – Ours are already gone, an after school snack for the kids, and the tops, a treat for our two guinea pigs!