It’s time to harvest the tomatoes. I can’t wait any longer as I must plant the Fall and Winter greens in the two cold frames, one of which is full of mutant tomato plants. Anyway, I don’t think the fruits will ripen much more on their own as the chill of autumn arrives.
This has been a great year in the garden with only the strawberries delivering a disappointing harvest. In contrast, the tomatoes have been pumping out fruits faster than we can eat, preserve, and give them away. For the last three months, we have had fresh tomatoes every day in a variety of forms.
The morning is bright and warm with a hint of humidity. I slowly clip each stalk and remove tiny bundles of mostly green tomatoes. When I find a rip one, I pop it into my mouth for a morning snack. It is a slow somewhat sad process removing the jungle of tomato vines to open the space up to the sun. This year, even though there was lots of rain, we didn’t have any viruses or fungal infections, leading to the health of the plants.
It looks like I will have at least half a bushel of tomatoes when I finish. I also pull a good amount of pole beans, basil, and rhubarb to eat and freeze over the next few days.
Juana and Dori come out to join me, shocked at the amount of tomatoes I have harvested and the amount I still have to pull. “What do you expect me to do with all of that!” she exclaims. I shrug my shoulders and continue to pick.
