Voila! My first home grown tomato. Technically, this is my third tomato. The first two were devoured by a ravenous, vile, larvae which I've determined is a cutworm. I was so proud of my first two babies. They were red and plump. Lookin fine and perfect for picking. But my supreme farmer instincts encouraged me to leave them on the vine just a few days more. I was greedy for those luscious, 100% vine-ripe tomatoes. No kitchen counter ripening in this household. No sirree, Bob. And that's when they were attacked. I would have taken a picture, but I was so traumatized by the sight of this cutworm creature that I damn near had a breakdown.
Shortly after my first borns were destroyed, I discovered a tweener tomato evolving from green to red. Hooray, I thought. Finally. After all these weeks of nurturing, I was close to enjoying my very own tomato. I watched it quite carefully, and picked it just a few days after it made the crimson turn.
I want to be proud of this pitiful piece of fruit...or vegetable..or whatever. But it has this jagged streak down the side, where it separated from itself. I'm not sure it's safe to eat? Guess this is where Google comes in handy again. *sigh*
The good news is that I have lots more mini tomatos sprouting up. Hopefully I haven't poisoned them with the large amount of pesticide I've sprayed since the cutworm episode. So much for organic produce. Feel free to share any tomato advice you have. I clearly need it.
