Tomato Pickin'

There's no denying it's a bad year for the nightshade family. Tomatoes and peppers are suffering something fierce, first because of a long, cool spring, and then searing temperatures well over 100 degrees. They're finally starting to even out, but we're just now starting to see a solid harvest of red tomatoes, and it usually starts in early August. Even with fourteen tomato plants in my garden, there's no way enough will turn red by first frost to get us through winter.

The solution? We went tomato picking! A dear friend found a U-pick tomato crop not far from here, and they sell them for $5.50 a half bushel. So we dragged our kids out to the tomato field and put 'em to work.



Of course, there was a really long break to snack on apples fresh from the tree...



And plenty of time just spent running through the fields playing tag and chasing bugs...



Okay, let's be honest - it was the Mommys who did all the work. But it's fun work!

My friend Katie. Isn't she adorable?

I can't think of any better way to spend my time than picking fresh vegetables and chatting with a good friend while the kids run contentedly around us.

Now to contend with the 50-60 pounds of tomatoes we brought home...