Day 8: smidgins of joy
Anticipation of tomato jam infused with smidgins of joy.
Pictured here are the eclectic pickings today of three different tomato varieties from four different locations.
I don’t know what one variety is called, since it has self-seeded from last year’s crop in two places. Last year’s tomatoes came from seeds saved from store-bought produce as an experiment to discover whether my organic cultivation would result in a tastier tomato than the greenhouse variety purchased. I say that it certainly did. So, there!
Second from left in the image below is a Roma tomato, also known informally as “Italian tomatoes”. My mother said once that they were her favourite, and that’s why I planted them.
As to the other variety, a Portuguese one called Maravilha (wonder, marvel), it is supposed to be really large. I planted that lot in un-dug virgin clay soil mulched with old basketweave and augmented with homemade nettle fertiliser and diluted worm castings. That sounds nutty, doesn’t it?
So far, the size of the tomatoes is not impressive. The upside is that they are plentiful, and that’s joyful enough for me.
These smidgins of joy are supposed to be mindful in nature and dwell on wonder in the moment. I have to confess, however, that I eagerly anticipate smidgins of tomato jam on my toast once those Roma beauties all ripen.
I bought a watermelon on Thursday. It seemed indulgent. This is the first time in years that I have had all the reddest, juiciest bits to myself. After each feasting, I have scattered the seeds in the garden where they are most likely to grow naturally, untended in my future absence as a cheeky gift to the next tenants. Oh, I did that with a tomato I ate in the garden whilst watering the other day too.
The other smidgin of joy is that I managed to find a clean white surface on which to photograph the tomatoes. Amazing!
And I am grateful for the washing machine. Truly.
©2019 Allison Wright
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