In the hope that tomatoes would ripen I left them on the vine until, well, some are still on vines although they are in the compost pile, there was a danger of frost. Leaving them in the cold and wind isn’t great for their appearance but the longer you can leave them connected to the Earth the better the thing is gonna taste.They don’t need to look good to taste good.
And they didn’t look so good. But they were only going to be breakfast (or possibly sauce) after all. They didn’t have to be gorgeous. The cottage cheese covers a multitude of sins.
I picked the ripening tomatoes before the first frost and let them reach their full potential on the counter. They were certainly battered. But, upon occassion, I’m willing to be patient. And my patience was rewarded. I had to peel the tomatoes (I suppose I could have eaten the skins, but, no). They were better than early spring tomatoes by a long shot. And I was reeeeally stretching the season. To November. Next year when I get control of Mother Nature, I’m putting some sort of tent over them. I may have tomatoes at fuckin’ Christmas.
