I am a foodie. So much so that Linda and I bought a farm property several years ago so that we could grow the quality of food we wanted. Every year it’s been my goal to keep some tomatoes going through the occasional freezing nights so that I could have a fresh grown tomato sandwich on Christmas Day. Well this year we did it!
I am a major proponent of eating ‘in season,’ the principal of eating produce that is raised in one’s area in that season. A strawberry eaten in the northeast in December had to have been shipped in from far away. It won’t have the taste of a berry enjoyed in it’s season, in it’s prime. Even more so with a tomato.
Keeping our ‘maters going has taken a lot of care to cover them from the cold most nights since October. But the payoff has been great! We’ve been giving away vine-ripened tomatoes to a number of friends over the past couple of months. Many of them have been suspect about whether they would have the flavor of a summer grown fruit. So our delightful response when they’ve called back to ask for more has been to give them more! I can’t think of anything that gives more satisfaction than to give away something that brings priceless pleasure to another person’s life.
But as I’ve thought about it, another component of the satisfaction we derive from the process is the process itself. The investment of care we put into anything worth doing is compounded by the joy of sharing and the work itself. The more challenging the work, the more rewarding the outcome when it succeeds.
Whatever the reason, my Christmas Day tomato sandwich was a delicious, juicy, wonderful delight. Can I lightly toast some bread for you?
Charles