Garden Sweethearts

According to the calendar, today is Sweetest Day. Well my sweetest memories of the garden include not only melons, but also heirloom Pineapple tomatoes.

The large, often asymmetrically shaped Pineapple tomato not only tastes sweet straight off the vine, but the sweetness increases when it is simmered in various dishes. It's a pity that their easily damaged skin and lengthy time to maturity(80 to 90 days) make them economically unsuitable for mass cultivation. However, if you have the patience and a growing season of sufficient length, I highly recommend adding them to your garden.

Liquid Sunshine

Want tomato soup without the acidic tomato taste? Try fresh Manyel tomato soup and give your palate something that will make your taste buds stand up and take notice. I took the liberty of adding some fresh chives from the garden as a topping. But others may want to mix in something to add a little heat to this savory liquid sunshine. Bon appétit!

I Can See Russians From My House

Now I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea. This is not a parody of Sarah Palin. Heaven knows she does an excellent self-parody without any help from me. And Vladimir Putin has not declared war on this household. Although he might if he found out we served rainbow swirl ice cream the other day. This is a blog that is first and foremost about gardening. So rest assured that there is nothing here except commentary about this season's crop of Russian Persimmon Tomatoes. They're an heirloom variety that make you think more of that popular fruit of Chinese origin than a direct descendent of the prime ingredient in ketchup.

I like to use them in a simple, homemade freezer jelly recipe. The golden color of the final product makes everyone wonder what the jelly is made from. And when they find out they're really knocked back on their heels. When I'm using it on my breakfast toast in the dead of winter, it reminds me of the warm glow of the summer sun in the growing season just past and the season yet to come. It's really a wonderful, sweet way to beat back the  harshness of winter.