I’ve never had much luck growing tomatoes, but I never gave it much effort except to put them in the ground and hope. This time, I’m serious. I have nine plants and four varieties. I have tons of green ones.
My husband eagerly awaits “my” salsa.
Everyone loves “my” salsa: family, friends, coworkers, enemies, neighbors. Everyone wants the recipe. Well, here it is: It’s very difficult and I slave over it for several minutes every year: I take a can of diced tomatoes, stir in an envelope of Mrs. Wages Classic Salsa Mix and open a beer (for me, not the salsa).
Sometimes I add cilantro, corn or black beans. Even after I tell them, people are crazy for it. They call it “Jennie’s salsa.” It even feels dishonest to say “Thank you.”
I didn’t even find the mix on my own. A co-worker made it once, I tasted it. She told me about Mrs. Wages and I’ve never looked back. It’s often sold in grocery stores in August and September. If you don’t see it, check out at Mrs. Wages website
By the way, I’m working on a story about the wondrous tomato, how it came to be such a staple, why it’s the only thing some people grow. I’d love to hear from you about your tomatoes, how you use them, favorite recipes, stories, anything.
To contribute, just comment here, or send me an e-mail at jennie.geisler@timesnews.com.
I plant cherry or grape tomatoes every year. My daughter is the only one in the family who likes them. I, myself am allergic to them. Can’t eat any tomato products, or I get sick. The plants even make me sneeze, and the smell of them makes me faintly nauseous. But I grew up on a farm where I spend months of my life picking them, so I’m used to it. My daughter is only four years old, but she can eat a phenomenal number of tomatoes. Last year, I filled a reasonably-sized cereal bowl with them; she asked if she could have some before supper, took them with her into the living room, and next time I looked the bowl was empty. I was really afraid for awhile that she had stashed them somewhere to play with later, but she’d actually eaten them all! However, she runs out of steam eventually and loses interest in the crop, so our neighbors, coworkers and extended family enjoy the overflow.
There’s nothing quite like a tomato just picked from the vine still slightly warm from the sun…mmmm. I look forward to this time of year. I like to slice tomatoes, drizzle with a little olive oil, put a slice of either mozzarella or provolone on top with a little fresh basil.
We’ve cut down on the number of plants in our garden but buy tomatoes for canning from the area farms so I can do them in larger batches at one time.