A Cruel Sick Joke

Despite the fact that it's firmly mid-October it still feels like summer here. Sure the mornings are chilly but the sunlight still warms everything right up and it's been that perfect mid-70s weather for 2 weeks or so. We did have a cold spell and I'm pretty sure we got close to a frost a few weeks ago. Still, STILL, certain plants in my garden are still doing really well.

And do you know what plants continue to do well? Let me assure you that it's not the ones that I like to eat like the green beans or peppers but its the foul and vile tomatoes that continue to plague my window boxes. 1) I have more ripe tomatoes now than I did all summer 2) Most of my tomato plants are dead and have been dead for weeks but the fruit on them continued to ripen and now I'm swamped with them 3) I had a tomato plant come back from the dead. It was not only dead but infested with spider mites and now its all leafy and tall and has the audacity to put out flowers!

In case you don't know, I hate tomatoes. I will eat tomato sauce, salsa, etc but I hate tomatoes when they are at their very height of flavor. I don't know why but I just hate the way they taste. As a very picky child I had a long list of things I wouldn't eat: sloppy joes, tomatoes, avocado, shrimp, cheese, mayo, egg salad, fish, tuna fish especially, and the list goes on and on. The only thing that remains on my list is tomatoes. To my credit, I do try them every year when my husband lovingly prepares them in some way that promises to show them off in their full glory (this year is was with fresh mozzarella and basil from our garden) and every year I make a face, retch, and try to be brave by swallowing them. And every year I hope that something will switch and I'll love them as much as everyone else.

So sure, our garden is mostly done but the tomatoes, they keep coming back from the dead!