We must have done something right this year, as our three tomato plants are producing fruit in absolute record numbers. I grow Celebrities, as I’ve discovered that I love their flavor best. The taste is a nice balance of sweet and tart, with a deep tomatoey flavor. They are incredibly meaty inside, almost all flesh and very little gel.
Hoping to use up some of the bounty and wanting to show off my green thumb, I brought to work a big basket of the showiest tomatoes, a bouquet of basil, a head of Red Toch garlic, olive oil, and two loaves of crusty Italian bread. Just before lunch, I chopped up all the garden stuff into a nice bruschetta topping, well lubricated with Greek olive oil and seasoned with salt and cayenne pepper. The bread I sliced and toasted and served separately on a big platter.
Soon after I started slicing the first tomato, the folks at work caught the scent and showed up in the kitchen, claiming they could smell the ripe tomatoes 100 feet down the hall. Once the garlic and basil were chopped, sharp-nosed people showed up like yellow jackets at a picnic. Within 20 minutes, all the bruschetta was devoured and only a reddish olive oil slick was left in the platter.
How’s everybody’s summer garden coming along? Drowning in tomatoes, zucchinis, basil and chiles yet?
Well, mine is going better than last year; I have lots of basil, rosemary, and mint, and I think I might actually produce some ripe tomatoes before the first frost. Seeing as how the “garden” is actually an old recycling tub on the back patio, I think that’s not too bad.
It would be nice if I could get the tomatoes and basil to synchronize, but no such luck.
I found a nursery that sold patio plants already a’flowering in May. I’ve been munching on vine ripened 'maters and basil for the past three weeks! Sometimes, I treat myself to a ball of buffalo mozz-yumyumyumyum. Just made some salsa for fish tacos tonight-rapture!
Good on you, pug, for feeding your workplace crew! Isn’t it fun watching people flip out on real food that is both healthy and flavorful? Who needs doughnuts or crap off the lunch truck when there’s homegrown goodness like that? I wish more people took the initiative like you did and shared good food at their jobs. It makes the work day so much more bearable.
Have been enjoying fresh homegrown tomatoes and pesto for a few weeks. Grew “Champion” and “Celebrity” this year.
Unfortunately, last night we had a typical Colorado thunderstorm which included plenty of hail. The good news is that most of my tomato and basil plants are potted and kept in a protected area under the roof.
However, right now the south patio looks and smells like pesto.
