No, they’re not really lame superheroes. They’re tomatoes!
Of the five varieties of tomatoes I’m attempting to grow, two of them are “real” tomatoes—the kind you buy by the pound at the supermarket, rather than by the pint. The varieties in question are Lemon Boy and Early Girl, and for most of the summer I’ve been anxiously checking up on the large green tomatoes daily and becoming increasingly frustrated by their determination not to ripen. I was starting to think fried green tomatoes were in my future… until last week, when the first Lemon Boy became a man!
(He was acting a bit shy when I snapped that picture, but as you can see, he’s quite the handsome fellow…)
Then this week, the Early Girls followed suit.
Now that they’re actually ripening, my elation is turning to terror as I realize I have no idea what to *do* with multiple ripe tomatoes. (It’s like the eggs all over again!) The cherry tomatoes are great for snacking, but these Lemon Boys and Early Girls are a bit too beefy for that. Tonight I’m making bruschetta. Tomorrow, caprese salad. And if the weather keeps up (which seems questionable, after a blustery few days), it might be time for tomato sauce…
Emily is a freelance writer, miniaturist, and adventure game enthusiast.
The person who named the “Early” Girl must be a distant relative of mine since they use the same definition of “early” that my dad’s family does when they have “early” dinners at 10:30 PM.
Speaking of dinners and many tomatoes and eggs, there’s a tasty dish called shoukshouka that’s made by frying chopped onions until they turn clear, then adding diced tomatoes and pepper and salt. When that’s all nice and runny, mix in scrambled eggs, and then eat the eggs with pita bread. You tear pieces off the bread so that you can pick up the scrambled eggs with your fingers. One large onion to two medium tomatoes to three eggs are the proportions I use, but I like onions.
No kidding. The Early Girl is the last of the five varieties to ripen!
That recipe sounds yummy, I’ll try it…