Potatoes & Tomatoes

Monday, July 23, 2007

We had gorgeous weather here on Saturday afternoon: not too hot nor too humid. I noticed the sky was cast in a deeper shade of blue for a change, not the pale haze of suffocating humidity that typically hangs over our city in July. For the first time in weeks, I felt comfortable enough to stay out and putter in the garden for a while, rather than just rushing about to do the necessary survival-mode watering and weeding. It was very pleasant.

My potato plants were tucked away somewhere behind the ever-enlarging crookneck squash plants in the back part of the plot. I decided it was time to head back there and see how things were faring. The soil was so dry; I hardly needed to dig much before I came up with a small crop of red potatoes. I think the whole harvest is less than the number of potatoes I planted in the first place! Oh, well. After that topsy-turvy planting episode in the spring, I am happy to at least have something.

What I'm really happy about, though, are those two tomatoes you see in the photo. I managed to rescue a pair of Brandywines before the birds dashed holes in them. It is a catbird that's been going after my San Marzanos; I saw him in action! (And then I felt very conflicted because I adore catbirds.)

Well, there are two unscathed tomatoes left for me and I am going to enjoy them ceremoniously. I will probably cut them into thick slices, add salt, and slurp them down over the kitchen sink with the juices running down my arm. Not quite elegant, I know, but I've been waiting patiently to eat these first ones and I want to taste them straight up. Salt on tomato. Nothing else. So there, Mr. Catbird.