a love letter, to my tomatoes

if you read this blog at all last summer, you may have noticed that I have a little "thing" for My Garden Tomatoes (so much so, that they are capitalized when written about, apparently). Weeks would go by and I would realize that I had taken more photos them, than my own two children.....whoops. So I find it appropriate that I write them a little lover letter.

from last summer.....

Dear My Garden Tomatoes,

you arrived sometime late last June.

We had been waiting.

The first few of you that came were sliced, and rationed out evenly among us....we had been deprived of your sweetness for far too long.

But it wasn't long before you were weighing down the vines that held you, begging to be picked.

The boy and girl would sit outside and eat you, still warm from the sun.

We smashed you into salsas, sliced you on to pizzas, and ate you with just about every meal, all hours of the day.

And then October came. You had to go.

I tried to convince you to stay just a little bit more, but deep down I knew it was your time.

I stood out there with you in chilly air, and made a promise.

"I vow to never buy a tomato from the store", I said (although maybe I didn't actually say VOW, because who talks like that?)

But I promised you--I would await your return the next summer. 

I knew that store "tomatoes" were not "tomatoes" at all--

their orange crunchy disguise couldn't fool me.

We had spent the last few weeks of summer drying you in the oven to save for the winter months.

We gathered all of your green brothers and sisters off the vines to keep in the basement, and slowly ripen over the following weeks.

We would be ok for a few months I told myself.

Winter came.

We enjoyed basement ripened (doesn't really have a charming sound, does it?), tomatoes that lasted us until December--we used that last few for salsa to go with our Christmas breakfast.

From there we moved on to dried tomatoes.

On sandwiches, pizza, pasta--you name it.

We were content.

Until.

My mind started telling me I needed a BLT.

But I wouldn't. I couldn't!! NEVER.

I could wait it out until June.

must.

have.

B.L.Tomato.

So, My Dear Garden Tomatoes,

what I'm trying to say.....

is that.....

I caved.

I broke my promise to you.

I should have tried to wait it out--just a few more weeks really, but the bacon convinced me to do it.

Now don't worry--those tiny tomatoes weren't even that great--I ate them without thinking twice.

But boy did they make my sandwich tastey......

I'm so sorry, I hope you understand.

We did use greens from the garden, if that makes you feel any better.

Please hurry up and get here, so I don't have to do it again.

all my love,

sheena

On of my favorite post-run meals:

BL(a)T

whole wheat bread, toasted

a bit of mayo

lots of avocado

1 piece of (nitrate free!) bacon

tomatoes

your favorite greens

yum.