You knew it was coming didn't you? The signs were all there...refusing to believe what a to-scale grid said I could plant, the first rush of tomato buying madness at the nursery, the websites, the films...they all pointed to a repeat of last year's downward spiral.
Even I knew trouble was brewing. Just three days ago, Joseph and I stood in the garden while a little part of my mind - the part that retains some sanity - started to panic. I walked into the house, posted my list of currently planted vegetables, took a deep breath and said, "Chad. We're done buying plants."
"Thank God."
Then Michelle emailed me a flyer for Tibor Canyon Ranch's heirloom tomato sale.
You see where this is heading, don't you?
She sent around a PDF with full color pictures of beautiful heirloom tomatoes. My heart skipped a beat. My breath came faster. Deep inside, the thrill welled up and I had to go.
Hello. My name is Mandy and I'm a gardening junkie.
Loading up the kids on Saturday morning, we met at Tara's house to caravan the 45 minutes south to "look" at the tomatoes. In my purse was a list of the nine varieties I wanted to take a closer "look" at. I swore to Chad that I wasn't going to buy nine. "Puh-lease," I said, with all the scorn I could muster, "I'm not going to buy another tomato. Give me some credit. Where would I put it? I just want to get out of the house. It's supposed to be a beautiful Saturday morning."
We arrived at the ranch and wandered up the path to the flats of tomatoes. Row after row of plants beckoned. We stood there - Tara, Sarah, Michelle and I - and looked at the list posted in the front. We each had different strategies. Sarah wanted determinants. Michelle wanted heat and drought resistant. As for me...well, I'm a name girl. Give me a name like Berkeley Tie Dye or Tumbling Tom and I'm a puddle.
By the time we left, I was the proud owner of seven more tomatoes. Seven!! To be fair, I blame Joseph for the Orange Russian. "I want this one for my garden, Mommy. He's so cute."
In addition to the Orange Russian, I walked away with an Aussie, Box Car Willie, Berkeley Tie Dye, Tumbling Tom Red, Tumbling Tom Yellow and an Early Wonder. After much consideration, I resisted the temptation to buy the Caspian Pink, Chadwick's Cherry, German Red Strawberry, KBX, Principe Borghese and Zapotec Pink Ribbed.
See? There was a little restraint.
We finally turned our backs on the tomatoes and herded the kids to the patio where the Ranch had put out a spread of salads, fruit and bread highlighting their various oils and another vendor's vinegars. After a snack, we stopped at the vinegar tasting table. As Joseph and I sipped the mini cups of vinegar, he kept up a running commentary that was as funny as it was accurate. We walked away with a delicious blackberry vinegar that was so yummy and sweet it won't need oil when it graces our salads.
The other ladies were just as enthusiastic. I think I've mentioned before that I've stumbled upon a group of foodies. Their enthusiasm for their work in the kitchen rivals their gardening. As the vendor explained the various uses of a particularly spicy vinegar, he mentioned that it would make a great Asian cole slaw. In unison, we all gasped, "OOOOHHHH" and started chattering about variations.
Leaving, we decided to go to Old Edna Market for a late lunch. We took a brief wrong turn that sent us into a patch of muddy road that later had Chad asking in a confused voice as he stared at my muddy Versa, "Where did you GO? Four-bying?" Finally arriving at the market, we were disappointed that the deli isn't open until May 1. Fortunately, their tasting room was open. We bought grape juice for the kids, shared a few tastes and then sat outside while the kids ran around.
My earlier prediction was correct. It was a beautiful Saturday. And yes. I found homes for all seven tomatoes.
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