Harvest time

With the rain finally breaking and my knee on the mend, Juana, Olivia and I start to harvest the remaining tomatoes. All the plants have started to shrivel and the fruits are green with little prospect of changing color in this cooling month. Olivia decides to help herself to the basket of ripe, red cherry tomatoes as Juana separates my pickings into different piles.

Olivia’s two tiny bottom teeth cut into the flesh of the tomato, allowing her to separate it and chew with abandon and a smile. She watches me as I bend over the plants and pull tiny tomatoes off the vines that have filled the garden for the last three months.

After removing all the fruit, I cut the intertwining vines from the cages to separate and remove both from the soil. Remnants of peat pots still surround the root ball though large runners emerge from the soil with a gentle tug. Olivia smacks her hands and bounces her bum between bites wanting to participate in this liberation. I think she is a bit young this year but there is always the next.