"The Tomato Man Cometh"

My friend the tomato man has been to see me a lot lately, and each time he comes he brings me a box of ripe, home grown tomatoes. A lot of times he just leaves them on my back steps and I find them when I start moving about in the morning. I find them there in their glory in the box and I am ecstatic. There is no food I love more than fresh tomatoes.

The problem is that they spoil so quickly. I have to eat four or five a day just to keep up with nature. Now I know there are ways to freeze them or something like that, but I want that fresh flavor that only a newly ripened tomato can have. So I eat them, and eat them, and eat them. As I write this I have acid bumps on my tongue.

One of my favorite ways to eat tomatoes is to peel them and then slice them. Then I put them on a plate and cover them with potato chips. There is something about the combination of the sliced tomatoes and the salty potato chips that is mouth-watering. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it.

I also like to go to "Wendy's" and order a taco salad that I then bring home. I put it all together - hot sauce, sour cream, chili over the lettuce, and then I start cutting up tomatoes. I slice them and dice them and pour them over the entire concoction. Add some salt and pepper and then put on the chips. Wow, if you can resist this you can resist anything.

Now this next use for tomatoes you might not even like hearing about, but I love it. I have grits, two over easy eggs, and bacon. I cut up the eggs and bacon and stir it all together with the grits. Then I put sliced tomatoes on top of it all and eat with gusto. Once again the combination of tastes is the secret.

Of course for just pure enjoyment you can't do better than the old-fashioned tomato sandwich which is tomatoes with mayonnaise on toasted bread. I could eat them for breakfast, dinner and supper.

In a few weeks I will be reduced to eating the tomatoes out of the grocery stores. I have to have tomatoes year round. These store bought items are better than nothing and that is the best I can say for them. Why can't the tomato growers and packagers find a way to have tomatoes year round that have that marvelous fresh taste? I would pay extra for that taste.

I love tomatoes so much that it was an added pleasure when I learned how good they are for you. When I learned that fact I once again marveled at the creativity of God in making something so wonderfully tasty, good for your health. 

So here's to our health as we eat tomatoes from dawn to dusk, and beyond. And here's to my friend the tomato man, may he live long and have many more harvests of vine ripened tomatoes.

 

 

 

 

 

©2005 Jackie K. Cooper

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