Here’s the thing: I really love tomatoes.
Spain has amazing fruit. Melocotones and ciruelas, frambuesas and cerezas – the cerezas (cherries) were particularly spectacular, especially when picked straight off the tree on a hot afternoon.
Cherry picking, somewhere past Leon
But the tomatoes, like many other vegetables in Spain, are terrible. And in the end, that’s what brought me back home.
The problem was the e-mails I kept receiving. “Kale’s in,” one would say. “Radishes just starting to sprout.” “You should see the carrots. You should really see the carrots.” And most importantly, “Tomatoes are coming along just fine.”
Meanwhile, my life underwent a radical change when I decided to move to Texas in the fall. The more I thought about Texas, and tomatoes, the more I came to understand that I couldn’t bear a summer more fresh vegetables than you can possibly eat. So, despite the temptations of European travel, I changed my plane ticket and returned home early. I visited family and friends in New York and Pennsylvania. And then finally, on Sunday, I arrived in Worcester and went straight to Nuestro Huerto, my favorite urban farm. I arrived just in time for their block party. And I went straight for the heirloom tomatoes.
I go to Texas on Monday, where it will be about 10000 degrees outside and in the middle of a drought. But this week I’m soaking up the rain, and eating all the tomatoes I can get my hands on.
Ripening verduras*
Weather:
Rainy and 71 degrees.
Mood:
Hannah: 8 out 10 on the “can’t get out of bed” to “jumping for joy” scale. yum.
Anna: 7 out of 10. Just ate a tomato.
*Photo credit to Nuestro Huerto. Photo is from last year’s crop.
Ditch the Umbrella 