The first tomato of summer 2015/16

My first harvest!

One tomato does not a summer make* — but it’s a start! Okay, so my foray into blueberry self-sufficiency was not a success, but I’m on a roll with the tomatoes. I picked the first one today (on a fork, above; on the plant, below). It’s a variety called Honey Drop, a mini yellow Roma type. And if you’re wondering … yes, it was very tasty, albeit not very filling.

Here it is ‘in situ’.

And more are coming!

Tomatoes peeking coyly from behind the leaves.

Still green, but coming along nicely.

*Apologies for paraphrasing Aristotle!

Tomatoes: more intricate than you might think

Tomato seedling with flowers. How does it go from this …

Not only tomatoes, of course, but all plants. How does a tiny seed become a plant, where do leaves come from, what makes a flower — and in the case of the tomato, how does a flower become a fruit? The next time you slice a tomato for a salad, take a moment to ponder the intricacy of the process that created that not-so-humble red wonder.

… to this?

(Confession: I bought these tomatoes. But the three in the feature image at top came from the plant in the first photo. My first harvest!)