tomatoes. Tomatoes. TOMATOES. I know I shouldn’t say this as I am practically cursing myself to a tomato-less future by making such a terrible verbal transgression against the Church of the Divine Solanum (of which I am a card carrying member), but it needs to be said:
I think I’m already sick of tomatoes.
I know. You are cutting me with mental daggers through your computer screen and spitting on the ground in disgust as you read this.
I just came in from the garden where I harvested 5 1/2 pounds of tomatoes plus the miscellaneous edibles you can see here. I could have harvested so much more (Swiss chard, kales galore, basil, etc), but I try to avoid harvesting more than we can handle at a time. That and I still haven’t photographed the hot pepper plants — they will have to hold their ripened fruit a little while longer. We are having a wildly productive year, for which I am grateful. Thank you hot summer.
While we were out there — I was harvesting food and Davin was fixing the broken cord on a string of lights that a mischievous squirrel had chewed through — we tasted some of the first new varieties and compared them to old favourites. About four varieties in, it suddenly occurred to me that I wasn’t really tasting them anymore. My mouth was already sore from the acid.
What is going on? It’s only August 13! This is the month that I wait for all year long. To add insult to injury, we are probably having our best year ever… and I’m just not feeling it. I am a Judas. I’m letting down the team. Excuse me while I step away from the computer to wash my filthy mouth out with carbolic soap and flagellate myself with a stinging nettle brush.
Needless to say, I’ve got about 15 pounds of tomatoes to can and I’m sure I’ll appreciate these squirreled-away beauties come December. We still have another month or so of fresh tomato bounty ahead (plus lots more canning), and plenty more opportunities to enjoy all of my favourite summer treats. Perhaps I’ll get my taste for it back before the season is out. I hope (gulp).
Is there anything that you’re sick of this summer?
I personnally will not flag you for such words, though I am jealous that as far north as you are, you’re crops are ready for harvest and mine are not even near rippening! haha. But seriously, those of us who love something thouroughly occaisionally need a break from our love. It can become overwhelming at times. Espcially for someone whose job revolves around their passion. You are allowed to be tired and to need a reprive. :) Here’s hoping your spirit will be revived.
Weeds. I’m sick of weeds. They’re the only thing I’ve managed to grow with any success this summer.
Oh – I just can’t wait until I’m sick of tomatoes, too … mine are a couple of weeks behind everyone elses – such little squirts when I planted them (and a week or so later than usual on top of it).
Im sick of all the People at the cummunity garden. For some reason this year they all make me sick to my stomach. On the upside i am have one of my best seasons ever for growing Veggies.
I hear you… for me (probably cause I am working 2 jobs) it’s the whole freakin’ garden this year. And, we increased the size of it at least 3 fold this year! ACK!
First it was the swiss chard, then it was the cukes, then it was the beans. And, I have 70, yes 70 tomato plants just starting to ripen. How will I have the time to can them all?
and… sad to say it’s only August 14th…
Cucumbers…I have this awful habit of over-planting cukes. How many jars of pickles does a family of two need? I’m (not so) patiently waiting to be sick of tomatoes. I’ve got 15 plants of my own, and have gotten exactly ONE so far…
I wish I had that problem. And if you’re really that sick of all those tomatoes, I’d be happy to take some off your hands. :)
BTW, I love that box!
I’m sick of cold and fog here in St. John’s, NL. Everything except garlic has drowned this summer. My tomatoes are just now starting to flower. Fingers crossed for a long, warm fall…
I’m with Stephanie. I’m down in Maine and everything I have is still green. Even when I can normally fool myself by remembering I only grow heirlooms which are often slower to grow….you’ve outdone me.
In punishment you need to label that photograph so I can make notes on what I want to grow next year….I am such a heirloom tomato addict. Between the ruffled tomatoes and patty pan squash I would be in heaven.
Oh, I’m with Andreae. I’m sick of the cold and the rain in my new place.
Fortunately I got 2 little sundews for my birthday in July, so started to catch rainwater for them. Imagine me running around in the garden in rain, positioning my buckets and joghurt caps!
BTW, what are those showy dark purple beans in that box?
Oh, this post made me laugh pretty hard! I can’t wait to be sick of tomatoes. Maybe in another couple of weeks.
I’m sick of seeing all the bountiful harvests around me and realizing that I will have to wait till next year to plant all the things that I wish I were eating now. The gardening bug bit me way too late this year (mid June) and though I have some wonderful herbs, I wish I planted more tomatoes. Four cherry tomatoes planted late in the season just aren’t enough!
I’ll stop cursing you long enough (just joking, sort of) to say that I got sick of raspberries this year. We’ve had so much rain and cool temps that the raspberries had a bumper crop, and after eating them every day for more than two weeks I grew weary. I never knew such thing was possible.
But I’d give a lot for the chance to grow tired of tomatoes…:-)
I’m sick of all my vegetables being eaten by animals (groundhogs, raccoons, squirrels) before they have a chance to mature. Even more insulting are the half-eaten tomatoes strewn across my backyard by the picky-eater animals.
Here in CT I’m tired of yellow beans and cucumbers, which I, too, tend to overplant!However, someone just gave me a really neat sounding slush/smoothie recipe that calls for cucumber chunks in the blender with lime juice, sugar and ice. It’s supposed to be quite refreshing.
I’ve been eating jumbo sized cherry tomatoes regularly for some time now but still waiting on the big boys to ripen. Hurry! we’re running out of time!
The grass is always greener (and nice and trim) on the other side of the fence…I’m really hoping there is a nice ripe tomato out in the garden today so I can have a toasted tomato sandwich for lunch:)
Cucumbers. I don’t know what to do with them anymore. But tomatoes? I’m still rubbing my hands in anticipation.
Beans. Last year I did not get the beans in at my own garden and I missed them terribly. This year I made up for it by planting seven 4′ x 8′ blocks of beans. I have two 4L boxes I picked last week still waiting to be frozen. Every time I look at them I feel guilty for not getting them in the freezer yet.
Homegrown beans taste so good in the dead of winter and I know I’ll appreciate the 18 two cup bags I’ve already frozen, but the blanching, cooling, draining, bagging, sucking the air out of the bag and reorganizing the chest freezer to accommodate the bags is getting a bit tiresome.
Rain. We’ve had way too much of it on the East Coast, which led to my garden being planted late in our already short season. After almost 2 weeks of rain (that started thankfully after my week of sunny vacation), we finally had a beautiful, hot, sunny weekend. And I picked my first two handfuls of ripe cherry tomatoes. And ate them. They were so good I can’t imagine every getting sick of them (I don’t think I’ve ever managed to get sick of garden fresh tomatoes).
Ciao Gayla-
I’m not sick of any of the produce I’m getting. For once, we’ve had the kind of summer I remember growing up in California and I’ve reveled in the 30C+ weather we’ve had.
That being said, I am a bit saddened at the degree of animal devastation at the community garden. I was a bit unprepared for that. We got over there on Friday and it looks like I’ll at least get some Black Aztec Corn out of our Three Sisters Bed, but I’m not sure about the beans or the Marina di Chioggia Pumpkins. If I get enough Grammy Tilly’s White-flowered Runner Beans to grow next year (at home this time), I’ll be happy. It’s a rare variety and I don’t have more seeds for next year.
I have a LOT of cucumbers like many people this year, but fortunately, I have been able to find happy recipients of my extras.
Oh, here in St. Louis I was the first to have tomatoes. Everyone was sooooo jealous.
By the first week of July, I’d picked well over 30 pounds. The very thought of going outside to pick them gave me anxiety attacks. The tomatoes were EVERYWHERE.
And then the heat came and slowed production. I was grateful. I sliced up the green ones for frying, and hid in the AC with the solace that I didn’t need to prep tomatoes every.darn.day.
Let them be jealous until they have a bumper crop. Then laugh when they cry.
You should consider yourself lucky, I haven’t had any luck with my tomatoes this year at all. Not one single tomato so far:(
Great article title btw!
Maybe I will be sick of tomatoes next year. This year I’m sick of the everlasting grey clouds, rain, below normal temperatures and that none of my tomatoes are ripening.
SPIDER MITES!
You always post such pretty pictures and interesting articles. I love seeing all those different tomatoes next to each other.
I’m sick of nothing (Ok, not “nothing” but most things) going right this year. I moved to a new place, and didn’t realize how many PESTS there are. Deer razed my garden repeatedly, along with whatever else got in there (There are an overabundance of groundhogs and raccoons, and my fence proved to be worthless garbage, despite being marketed for use as a garden fence), stink bugs all over my cucumbers, Japanese beetles everywhere (Of course — but that’s to be expected, at least) and who knows what else. Worst of all, though, it turns out where I planted everything, or almost everything, there’s not enough sunlight (Enough sunlight for the weeds, apparently, but not enough to have very productive plants). Or maybe there is enough and I’m just a bad gardener after all. The person who used the spot before me said it’s great, but his broccoli stretched “a little bit.” All he grew was broccoli and swiss chard and beans, so maybe there’s something to that. . . Anyway, there are a lot of tall trees around, and while the garden is in an opening, everything is lanky in addition to being pest ravaged. Before, I was in heavy clay soil with a ton of sun, and things did great despite having supposedly “crappy” soil. The soil here is much nicer and easier to work with, but what does it matter without the right amount of sun? Sorry for the rant. I’ve just been so frustrated and I don’t like sharing my failures with non gardeners. I feel like tossing my hands up. I guess I just need to take all this into consideration and prepare accordingly for next year (And see about getting a community plot or something, because I am NOT trying to grow true sun lovers here again). Ugh.
I’m sick with this “summer”. After that summerish-April we (Belgium) had nothing but rain and 18° C; maybe a handful of sunny days – ideal conditions for weeds indeed, but greenhouse season very slow, pumpkins not sprawling the garden, …
#noMoreSeasonsLikeThisPlease
I just made that fried egg, basil and tomato sandwich that you posted about Gayla…..I will NEVER get tired of those…EVER!
Why not try sun-drying tomatos as well- the colours and shapes could be so gratifying in the winter months.
wow, what a beautiful harvest!
you may already be sick of them, but I certainly am envious.
all my tomato plants this year were killed by spider mites. :(
I’m sick of not having tomatoes. I only have 5 1/2 and they’re taking forever to ripen. Also, something keeps eating my peppers.
At least this cold, wet summer was good for our lettuce. :)
Those Tim’s Black Ruffles look awesome.
I never grow sick of tomatoes, sometimes I have to take a nap in the tomato field because I have eaten so many.
How about the f’in fruit worms that attacked every viable tomato and cuke in my whole garden. Might as well call it the garden of fruit worm benevolence! I’m not bitter though, honest…
Be happy to take those pesky toms off your hands:-)