We usually pick our first tomato around May 1st. Texas has had a long, cool spring, and I wasn’t really expecting any tomatoes till mid-May. This morning, I was happily surprised to find a lovely little Sun Gold ready to be picked.
While I wanted to pop it in my mouth, I’ve established a little ritual with the first tomato of the season, and it involves Tallulah
This is a photo of Tallulah in her favorite spot, outside the garden gate. Tallulah adores tomatoes, and spends her summers keeping vigil just outside the garden, in hopes of getting a tomato hand-out.
I usually give her one.
This very short video shows the ritual of the first tomato. Mr. Pippin also has a brief cameo role.
http://www.youtube.com/v/lztO1KhODC4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0×234900&color2=0x4e9e00
You’ll have surely noted that I dressed up for the video – that is my best gardening outfit.
I love summer tomatoes and sharing them with my friends, including our dear Tallulah (whose nickname is Tomato Boo)
Now the Giveaway
A few weeks ago, I attended TECHMunch in Austin, a SXSW event for food bloggers. I met some great people, professional food writers and food enthusiasts, and got some cool gifts including a wonderful gardening book, Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces.
Grow Great Grub includes planting information, pest control and even delicious recipes for your garden harvest. Its a beautiful book with some great gardening and cooking ideas.
In celebration of the first tomato of the season, I am giving this book away to one of my blog readers (US addresses only). All you have to do is leave a comment below and answer this question:
What’s your favorite garden vegetable?
Be sure to input your email address when you leave your comment – the comment box will offer that as an option.
You can comment as many times as you like, but the contest closes at midnight April 29th. I’ll pick the winner at random and notify them by email on Friday the 30th. You’ll have 5 days to get back to me with your mailing address or I’ll give the book to the next person on the list. Enough rules & regs -
What’s your favorite garden vegetable? Leave a comment below and I hope you win!
Happy First Tomato day!
Cynthia & Tallulah
*************
Cynthia McKenna is a psychotherapist in private practice. She helps clients heal anxiety and depression and find peace through living healthier lives. You can learn more about her work here.
My favorite garden veggie is Kale. Brings back yummy memories of my mom’s Portuguese kale soup made from her garden when we were growing up
I’m a huge kale fan too – I met a new foodie friend thanks to kale – she posted a recipe for kale, red potatoes, feta cheese all drizzled with olive oil – its delightful.
ooh! I was about to say kale! HAHA! I can hardly believe someone else could beat me to “kale!” That’s fantastic.
Okay, so that leaves me with broccoli… or maybe asparagus… oh! too many to choose from!
Cauliflower, which I have really never cared for in the past, in the last 6 months has become my favorite–just plain steamed cauliflower
I feel a little like a copycat here, but I’m with Tallulah: it’s tomatoes for me. As the great Guy Clark has said, “Homegrown tomatoes homegrown tomatoes / What’d life be without homegrown tomatoes / Only two things that money can’t buy / That’s true love & homegrown tomatoes.”
My favorite garden memories are of the first year I had a garden in the house where we’ve lived for 31 years. We had more sun back then (the big oak tree has since gotten bigger) and the garden was picture book perfect. It was tiny, as it still is, but the tomatoes were exceptionally prolific. As I picked them through the summer, it was one one for the garden trug, and one–or two–for me. Yum.
that was a great first-tomato moment! what did mel call her… Tomato Boo??
Hey Dina, it is Tomato Boo -
now, what I want to know is, What’s your favorite veggie?
Cynthia
Tomatoes already!? Our plant (my first tomato plant ever) is growing like wildfire but certainly no where near fruit yet! I am so envious! My fav veggie is Celery root at the moment. I love remoulade – shredded celery root with yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. heaven!
I have to say my favorite veggie that I have actually grown is yellow and white corn…I brought the seeds back from New York and planted them in a garden in Helotes..
It was just as sweet and tender as if it had been grown up North. Fresh picked, boiled in water with a small handful of sugar… man, oh, man, it didn’t even need any butter or salt…makes my mouth water just thinking about it…
Plain and simple…
Absolutely snow peas – so why do I live in Arizona where they’re impossible to grow? Great blog Cynthia!!
I will state the obvious: KALE! It has brought delicious friendships and memories into my life. Also, I adore artichokes. They are a childhood favorite. I still steam them and dip the leaves in mayo, just like my bio dad did. Now I’m craving….
Cynthia, I have grown to love yellow and red bell peppers almost as much as the rarely eaten home grown tomato. When peppers are halved and grilled, then filled with wild rice and accompanied with grilled chicken, the result is sublime! Peppers seem to be more easily grown and marketed than are tomatoes, which in the form they are found in the grocery do not resemble the “real thing” which Tallulah claims so rightfully as her favorite!
Beets!! I love them any possible way you could serve them. Pickled, fresh, with goat cheese, in a green salad. . . .I could go on and on. They truly are the best!!
artichokes, fixed any way at all….my goal is to someday make a pilgrimage to Castroville, CA for the artichoke festival!
Jalapeño peppers, definitely. For salsa and just for adding to breakfast tacos, etc.
Asparagus is the ultimate vegetable. Steam it, bake it, grill it, eat it raw. It doesn’t matter how as long as you don’t over cook it. I miss Central Market in Austin where I could find different varieties from all over the world.
Cucumbers. When I was little I always helped my dad pick the “cukes” from our backyard garden. So cucumbers remind me of my dad and I enjoy eating them dipped in dressing.
I have to say tomatoes are my favorite because I can use them so many ways – fresh with salt and pepper or with mozz/basil for salad snack or of course with BLTs. I planted my first tomato and cherry tomato plants this year (and strawberries, poblano, jalapeno, lavender, basil, thyme, rosemary) and can’t wait! Oh, yes, my husband doesn’t care for tomatoes, so I don’t have to share!!
17 was the lucky number – chosen at random by a person in NM
You’re the winner. I’ll be getting your book off to you soon!.