Homegrown Tomatoes

Dave's efforts in the spring to make a garden spot were not in vain. We have tall tomato plants and huge squash plants. Everything took a beating in the rains last weekend, but we hope the plants will bounce back.

Last night we were rewarded with the delicious taste of our first tomato. It was smallish, but packed with the taste of a "real" tomato. I was able to slice three thick slices to share with Dave with our dinner of vegetables--green beans from Mama's garden last year, mashed potatoes, roasted corn on the cob, and corn bread sticks (Dave's favorite kind of cornbread--it's nice and crunchy because it's baked in a pan shaped like ears of corn). A homegrown tomato was a wonderful accompaniment to the meal. Had I gone out the garden before dinner, I would have discovered a zucchini that could have gone with dinner.

On an interesting side note, we also had warmed up barracho beans. I never thought I would see the day when Dave requested pinto beans for dinner, but thanks to a great recipe of wonderfully seasoned beans Dave likes pinto beans.

I look forward to having a tomato sandwich--fresh bread, mayonnaise, thick slices of tomato seasoned with salt and pepper. Yummy.

I'm not alone in my affection for homegrown tomatoes; Guy Clark writes and sings a great song about them. The lyrics appear below. If I can figure out how to post the song, I will.

Ain't nothin' in the world that I like better
Than bacon & lettuce & homegrown tomatoes
Up in the mornin' out in the garden

Get you a ripe one don't get a hard one
Plant `em in the spring eat `em in the summer
All winter with out `em's a culinary bummer
I forget all about the sweatin' & diggin'
Everytime I go out & pick me a big one

Homegrown tomatoes homegrown tomatoes
What'd life be without homegrown tomatoes
Only two things that money can't buy
That's true love & homegrown tomatoes

You can go out to eat & that's for sure
But it's nothin' a homegrown tomato won't cure
Put `em in a salad, put `em in a stew
You can make your very own tomato juice
Eat `em with egss, eat `em with gravy
Eat `em with beans, pinto or navy
Put `em on the site put `em in the middle
Put a homegrown tomato on a hotcake griddle

If I's to change this life I lead
I'd be Johnny Tomato Seed
`Cause I know what this country needs
Homegrown tomatoes in every yard you see
When I die don't bury me
In a box in a cemetary
Out in the garden would be much better
I could be pushin' up homegrown tomatoes