Sunday, July 30, 2006

Disappointment


There are few events a gardener looks forward to more than the taste of the first homegrown tomato of the summer. It's the herald of things to come, of walking out to the garden in pajamas, barefoot, to pick a juicy ripe tomato and eat it on the spot, before coffee, even. It's even more exciting here on Tiger Mountain when that first tomato ripens in July.

Alas, the plant that offered up the season's first is one that was given to me this spring by a fellow gardener who was excited about the health benefits of a tomato with "50% more lycopene!". Sorry, but I eat tomatoes because they taste good, not because they are good for me, and I've had tastier tomatoes from the supermarket.

Compared to their decision to close the Heronswood Nursery this year, creating this tasteless fruit is a relatively minor crime on the part of Burpee & Co., but still. . . what were they thinking?!?!?
Let the gardener beware. 'Health Kick' from Burpee is not something you want to waste your time with.

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

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30 July, 2006 18:26  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

it's been a really hard summer growing everywhere i think. all things considered, your mega-lycopene guy lOOks good at least :)

06 August, 2006 09:40  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I know your plum tomatoes are a disappointment; so were mine. I know I'm reading way, way back, but just want you to know. We had a great drought here; don't know about where you live (northwest?). My plums (Roma) were a but mushy and disappointing. But they still made great sauce, their primary purpose. NOT to be eating tomatoes, though they're usually best in the dead of winter -- much better than all the pink, artificially ripened tomatoes imported from Chile, etc. Some years the plums are as good as the 'eating tomatoes,' beefsteaks, etc. Yep, a different and hard summer, and I'm sure next year will be better!

26 November, 2007 21:03  

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