The Before
I've been doing a bit of gardening as of late. The county in their infinite wisdom decided to take 15 ft of our property away to add to the barren wasteland behind our house. You see our county feels green grass is not native to Florida. So my beautiful island complete with arbor and weeping hibiscus tree looks awful. So, in an attempt to make my yard...unless the county takes it away, a little prettier, JB and I have been working on the yard
So we have planted new p
lants, placed a brick border around the island and added mulch. In one of the many trips to the local Big Box Home Supply Stores I came across a tomato plant. Now keep in mind I grew up in New Jersey, South Jersey to be exact. The Garden State, home of Campbell's Tomato Soup and fresh Jersey tomatoes. As a boy growing up, we always had fresh tomatoes in the summer growing in our garden. Every dinner included tomatoes in some form ... sliced, fried, baked, stewed, sauced.....even raw eaten with plenty of salt like you would an apple. So needless to say, the tomato plant was coming home with me.
Now I can't plant anything outside since I will not eat anything that has been watered with "reclaimed" water, you know water that comes from the streets were dogs poop and pee, from yards that have been treated with pesticides and run off from who knows what people use to powerwash driveways, roofs and homes. So the large clay pot at the end of the pool became home for the tomato plant.
So, JB loves to name our plants. We have Olivia Orchid, Patty Pedestal (she resides on a pedestal near the front door), Gabriella Gardenia, Betty Bougainvillaea and so on. So the wonderful tomato plant is Tessie Tomato!
Every day I water Tessie, just after I take my poolside shower after my morning run, bike, or swim. In Florida things including me, needs a lot of water. As I water her I check her growth and grown she has from that little plant I brought home. Every day I check her tomatoes, now 9 in all in various sizes but all green. Every day I plan menus that uses tomatoes. But most of all every day I look forward to the day I can eat one of "Tessie Tomatoes" tomatoes with plenty of salt with the juices dripping from my chin! Until then I'll just have to rely on my local farmer, Mr. Gonzales, to provide my daily tomato fix.
lants, placed a brick border around the island and added mulch. In one of the many trips to the local Big Box Home Supply Stores I came across a tomato plant. Now keep in mind I grew up in New Jersey, South Jersey to be exact. The Garden State, home of Campbell's Tomato Soup and fresh Jersey tomatoes. As a boy growing up, we always had fresh tomatoes in the summer growing in our garden. Every dinner included tomatoes in some form ... sliced, fried, baked, stewed, sauced.....even raw eaten with plenty of salt like you would an apple. So needless to say, the tomato plant was coming home with me.Now I can't plant anything outside since I will not eat anything that has been watered with "reclaimed" water, you know water that comes from the streets were dogs poop and pee, from yards that have been treated with pesticides and run off from who knows what people use to powerwash driveways, roofs and homes. So the large clay pot at the end of the pool became home for the tomato plant.
So, JB loves to name our plants. We have Olivia Orchid, Patty Pedestal (she resides on a pedestal near the front door), Gabriella Gardenia, Betty Bougainvillaea and so on. So the wonderful tomato plant is Tessie Tomato!
Every day I water Tessie, just after I take my poolside shower after my morning run, bike, or swim. In Florida things including me, needs a lot of water. As I water her I check her growth and grown she has from that little plant I brought home. Every day I check her tomatoes, now 9 in all in various sizes but all green. Every day I plan menus that uses tomatoes. But most of all every day I look forward to the day I can eat one of "Tessie Tomatoes" tomatoes with plenty of salt with the juices dripping from my chin! Until then I'll just have to rely on my local farmer, Mr. Gonzales, to provide my daily tomato fix.
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