Tomato Rich

We are tomato rich at the Flake house right now.

Each year I never know which plants will thrive in my vegetable garden. Last year I had cucumbers in abundance, the year before it was squash. This year it is the tomatoes.

I planted 4 different varieties – Early girls, Better Boys, a cherry tomato bush bought at the local nursery, which is full of sweet little bite-size bursts of flavor, and Marianna’s Peace, our special, pink-tinted heirloom. Keith started these from seed years ago and now our neighbors Jack and Zeta keep the tradition going by planting them in little cups during the winter.  Jack brought me 2 young plants back in the spring and they are growing strong.

And I’m not mentioning the several tomatoes growing out of my compost pile.

Being tomato-rich means having as many tomatoes as I like, and I devour them at every meal. Tomato and eggs at breakfast, tomato and cheese toast at lunch, tomatoes in my salad at dinner – that’s good eating!

Giving away tomatoes to those who appreciate them is the other joy of being tomato rich. True tomato lovers will squeal with delight when you offer them a bag of the red jewels and will guard them jealously.

I recently shared some with a friend who is going through a difficult time. She was so excited to get the tomatoes and as she turned to leave, she said, “You know, it’s rough right now, but I’m going to be happy for these tomatoes. I’m going to go home and I’m going to enjoy them.”

Fresh tomato season doesn’t last, but neither do hard times. Perhaps Jesus was thinking this as he walked down a path one day and saw wildflowers blowing gently in the wind. Maybe the disciples were grousing about what they were going to eat when they got to the next village, and he was tired of hearing it. He told them to quit worrying about what they were going to eat or what they were going to wear.

“Notice how the lilies in the field grow,” he told them. “They don’t wear themselves out with work, and they don’t spin cloth. But I say to you that even Solomon in all of his splendor wasn’t dressed like one of these. If God dresses grass in the field so beautifully, even though it’s alive today and tomorrow it’s thrown into the furnace, won’t God do much more for you, you people of weak faith?”

Jesus goes on to tell us to stop worrying about tomorrow, because each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt. 6:34)

Growing a garden has taught me about living for today. I am learning to enjoy the summer pleasures that are here today, and trust God for what may come tomorrow.

So grab a juicy tomato, cut it into slices and put some between 2 pieces of bread with mayo and bacon. Be sure to have lots of napkins on hand and enjoy!