Normally, when someone you know gives a title to something like i did to this one, it’s used allegorically or metaphorically. Not in this case. In this instance it’s quite literal. Here’s the backstory:
I went to UT to meet with the OCF chaplain for UT’s chapter, of which I am president. Afterward, I was hungry (warning sign #1) and I didn’t feel like going home quite yet (warning sign #2), so I decided to go to Fresh Market (like WholeFoods)(warning sign #3). Why all these warning signs? I can spend $100 easily at the Fresh Market. I mean, it’s the organic, exotic, and upper-crust grocery store. I almost spent $5 on a bottle of beer with a batch control number on it.
On a side note, whether I’ve told many people or not, I’m planning on starting a garden as this year goes on. One of the things I really want to do with it is grow heirloom plants, from which seeds can be harvested and planted to get the parent species again. This plan includes Cherokee Purple tomatoes.
Now, back to the Fresh Market. I get the basket and go over to the fresh fruit and veg area, not planning on getting anything. I almost bough some Mt. Ranier cherries (my favourite cherry), but I moved on to the tomatoes. What do I spy, but an heirloom tomato display! So, naturally, I picked through them, selected a reddish-pink one (Brandywine), a red and yellow variegated looking one (probably Big Rainbow), and, after digging through a bit, I come up with a Cherokee Purple.
I get home with my exciting fruit (and some other stuff) and decide to try what I’ve got. The Cherokee purple, which is dark green on top, dark red on bottom, and purplish red on the inside, was pretty good, but seemed a little light in the flavour department. The Brandywine was much more what I imagine a tomato tasting like. Of course, I saved seeds from both.
A little while ago, I decided to see what the other one (the Big Rainbow, I suspect) was like. Now, I don’t know about you, but I have certain expectations when I slice a tomato. For instance, I expect the seeds and the pulpy stuff they’re in to fill the cavities in the flesh. Well, here’s what I got…
Note how the inside looks less like a tomato and more like a pepper. Well, aparently they’re distant cousins, as plants go. The sphere in the middle is the pulp and all the seeds. Certainly not what I was expecting. My reaction was definitely one of surprise. I scraped as much of that stuff into a bowl of water as I could, too, to save the seeds. The flavour wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t juicy like I prefer. I think I may grow a vine or two to give to people just to watch their reaction when they cut it or bite into it.
That’s all I’ve got for now. Time to go type up my homework for Calculus 2… yay…
Cheers,
Red Wolf
