And for my last tomato request...the Cherokee. An heirloom with a hint of purple. Thanks to Kim for the suggestion via Facebook!
On my Facebook Page I asked the question..."tell me your favorite tomato". The next couple of days will highlight those answers, with this one being the first. Maybe I should just devote a month to tomato types. I could go on and on. {Thanks for the suggestion Dan!}
Does anyone know how the whole idea of throwing rotten tomatoes as a sign of distate began? And, really, how many people carry a satchel of smelly tomatoes to a presentation anyway?
On a good note, I'd like to thank Vicki at Simply Hue for featuring my artwork on her site this week. There's no throwing rotten tomatoes at that.
Sometimes we have so many tomatoes that we run out of places to store them. Often the wagon serves this purpose. Of course, this location allows visitors to grab a few for themselves too.
It seems there is always an abundance of two things...coffee and tomatoes. This overpopulation often results in free giveaways. Why, oh why do I not like either one?! Why can't I walk into an office and have someone offer me a piece of cheesecake or a bowl of ice cream? Or have someone leave a basket of brownies, day after day, in late summer with a sign that says "free for the taking." {print available}
Americans eat approximately 24 pounds of tomatoes per person, per year (BellyBytes.com). Not liking tomatoes and all, I wonder if I consume that much just through ketchup and tomato soup? Hmmm....
Americans obtain more vitamins from tomatoes than from any other vegetable (BellyBytes.com). Ugh, I guess that means I should eat more tomatoes?
I love cucumbers and my husband loves tomatoes, but neither of us like the opposite. The result is the "swap". When we are at a restaurant peering into our mixed salads, we each poke the appropriate vegetable with our fork and gently place it in our spouse's salad. The result is a salad monoculture making us both happy.
Speaking of canning tomatoes...
Yes, my husband enjoys tomatoes too...and let me point out he does nothing small.
Okay, so my mom is a tomato madwoman. In my childhood home rows of tomatoes often lined the countertop...all happily waiting to ripen for the next perfect tomato snack. Tomatoes on cottage cheese, tomatoes on burgers, or sliced tomatoes with a simple sprinkle of salt. I just lived my parallel tomato-less life.
Imagine living in a 1970s ranch with a gravel driveway, a sloping lawn, one single mulberry tree, and a lone tomato plant. That is my garden history.
Botanically speaking tomatoes are fruit. In the culinary world they are vegetables. Here is an interesting tidbit...in 1883 the tomato was legally defined as a vegetable. Why? Find out more here. Thanks to Leila for sharing this via Facebook.
I don't like tomatoes. So why in the world am I dedicating a whole month of illustrations to them? Two reasons...first, I have a lot of personal tomato stories (strange as it is) and second, I really love drawing tomatoes. They are quite happy-looking. It's not that I hate tomatoes, it's just that I really don't love the taste of them (at least in the raw state).
This month I'll be sharing my quirky relationship with the tomato. It will include the good, the bad and the saucy. I hope to see you around the garden!