And the winner is… Sun Gold. The Girl has had her eye on the first ripe tomatoes for a few days now. She decided yesterday was the day to pick them. Instead of eating them right there on the spot she ran inside to weigh them (good girl), then proceeded to eat her all time favorite tomato.We discovered this particular variety of tomatoes a few summers ago. Right after we moved here we noticed a little old lady was selling her extra garden produce at a make shift stand at the end of her driveway. In a recycled berry container she had simply written, “Sun Gold $1.00,” in pencil. That summer we probably went to check her stand every single day for about a month hoping we were the first customers of the day and hoping to find more Sun Gold tomatoes. The kids were hooked and we have grown them every year since.
Now, this lady does not sit at her veggie stand at the end of her driveway and wait for customers. No, she drives down each morning to set out her coolers full of veggies, collects her money from the plastic gallon mayo jar with a rock in the bottom of it and heads back home. Probably back to her garden and chickens. Kinda cool if you ask me. Big time honor system.
Last night I went out and counted my tomato plants. I have 63. I hope that’s enough for all the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa, and ketchup I want to make. I am hoping to can make a 1 year supply. Before this year the most tomato plants I’ve ever grown in one summer was 9.
I only labeled about 6 of my tomato plants. What can I say. Call it laziness or a learning experience. I convinced myself that if I didn’t label them, I would have to figure out what they were called by the pretty pictures on the seed packets. This way I can teach myself and the kids to identify them without the use of labels. Kinda like a game. It shouldn’t take too long anyway. There are only 15 different varieties this year.
This one is easy: Yellow Pear. I still can’t believe that I started this from 1 tiny seed. I’m thinking that since it’s only July, this plant just might end up taller than the fence.
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