Friday Food 07-28-23

It is prime tomato season here in Orange County,  California. And, once again, I didn't plant any this year.  Just procrastinated too long.  Fortunately friends and neighbors were  more forward thinking and now they are reaping their reward.   And sharing  with  me!!  Friend Carol left a  bag  of  four ripe, delicious tomatoes  on my porch.  

These are the three left after I made.....

...a sandwich for lunch. Toasted sourdough bread, sliced hard boiled egg, mayonnaise, a tiny  smear of Dejon, one sliced tomato, a sprinkle of salt and a twist of black pepper. Oh, my goodness, was it ever delicious.  It would have benefited from a layer of lettuce on top, but I didn't  have any.   I'll hit the market tomorrow before lunchtime.  

I searched my photos for tomatoes and confirmed that this is prime tomato season.  This is from July 28, 2022.  These tiny sweet morsels are from volunteer plants. 

And this is from July 27, 2021 - with lettuce.

July 31, 2020

July 30, 2019

I could go back even further!  Tomato season is a big deal for me because I don't buy grocery store tomatoes that have no flavor.   So, the only time I have them at home is in July and August.  When I was growing up in Oregon we always had a garden with different types of tomatoes and a lot of other vegetable.  We canned them, of course, but the best was to pick one, sprinkle it with a little salt from the aluminum salt shaker that sat atop a post and just stand there in the row and eat them.  One of my best childhood memories. 

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Somewhat improving! 06-30-23

This evening we took our walk and did the complete loop (a little less than a mile) for the first time since Sunday.  I just haven't had the strength and it is hard to have leash, cane, and hold a tissue to my nose!  I did use a  "croup tent" twice today because I was so drippy and sneezed in  multiples.  It does help, but I should have started sooner.  Talked at a distance with  several  neighbors and discovered that what I have is something that is "going around".  I suppose I should have seen the doctor, but I do dislike taking antibiotics  if  I can possible avoid them.   I will just keep doing my old-time treatment and see if I can be well by next Wednesday. 

I did manage to take KoKo to the groomer yesterday -  isn't he handsome? For this picture I lifted him up on a neighbor's wall right in front  of the volunteer cherry tomato plant.  The neighbor  has been caring for the plant, but went off for a ten day vacation, so every other day I took a bottle of outside water and gave it a drink.  I intend to enjoy a some cherry tomatoes in a few weeks!  The tomato plants volunteer from the mulch a lot of people use.  It contains sewage sludge (treated, of course), but the cherry tomato seeds seem to come through unscathed and usually  give  a great crop of sweet,  tiny tomatoes.  I had them in the 60s in Huntington Beach and in this backyard when I took care of it.  

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