ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

TOMATO MANIA

I’ve been a little crook this year so whiled the hours away,
by sitting in the garden here to seek some warmth each day.
And when my energy was high, I’d plant tomato seeds,
with hopes I’d have a little crop to meet our household needs.

Then just in case a few may die I’d sow a couple more,
but soon lost count, and ended up with plants here by the score.
The Good Lord must have thought I’d better give this bloke a hand,
although he is a sinner, his endeavours are quite grand.

And through his help with sun and rain, there grew a mighty crop,
that reached up to the heavens and I thought they’d never stop.
These plants were in profusion; I’m surprised there were so many!
they even grew in places where I hadn’t planted any.

Now for a time I was quite proud and glowing with success,
but very soon thereafter, this Success turned to distress.
For we were overwhelmed here with tomatoes by the ton,
and it was like a great tomato lotto that we’d won.

I’m handing out tomatoes; well at least I hope to try,
by hiding in the bushes to ambush each passerby.
For neighbours all avoid me now for fear of getting caught
and burdened with tomatoes then that they no longer sought.

I used to like tomatoes once, before all this begun,
but hate them now and hope I never see another one.
There’s many ways to eat them and I’m sure I’ve tried the lot,
so this year’s resolution - no tomatoes in my plot.

******
©T.E. Piggott

Your thumbs are working well then Terry. Maybe just a couple of plants in pots next year - or there's always the farmers' markets. I enjoyed this poem - something a bit different.

Heather

You know they self-seed don't you? There's no escape....

Do what the Italians do, they mince them all up, cook them with herbs and bottle them for pasta sauce. Itsa da bluddy bewdy mait.

Good one Terry I collect the seedlings form the grey water overflow at work and they grow beautifully but I have noticed that they all tend to be cherry tomatoes. ??

Bob

Hi Heather
It's amazing just what you can achieve in ten minuets here and there especially, if it's over an extended period.
My hydroponics were reasonably easy as its been set up for some time.

The trouble was that I was digging (more like scratching) little areas in the garden as well.

mind you it's not just tomatoes, there's been lots of beans both broad and french. then there were cucumbers, beetroot, corn, strawberries (by the hundred), onions, spinach, rhubarb, capsicum, leeks, chilli, lettuce, pumpkin, rock melon etc.

The fact that most of them grew so well, with so little effort on my part amazes me - I more or less just threw most of them in.

Cheers Terry

G/day Neville,
I've often thought of trying to make tomato sauce, but the thought of the effort needed is usually enough for that thought to be still born.
We do have a dehydrator and I have been doing plenty of that.

They're really beautiful tomatoes this year as well, I just picked another half bucket this morning.

The other problem is that there's just Val and I to try and eat what we can't give away,
I give some to one neighbor but dodge the bloke on the other side because the only time I spoke to him he tried to convert me and I prefer to stay an Infidel mate.

Any one who calls in is immediately showered with vegetables, including unwary poets.

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G/day Bob,
Well at least they've got of to good start there.


Cheers Terry

thats really good Terry - both the poem and the veggie plot So much fresh produce - lovely - why not bottle/preserve it - easy enough to do and you enjoy your produce all year round then.

I think you can buy a modern day version of the old Vacola preserving kits every home once had - try ebay. I had an old one that went on the top of the wood stove but believe the new systems are much easier than doing it that way.

Tomato relish is the go Terry if I can make it I'm sure you can.


Bob

Hi Maureen & Bob

Maureen you'd like my wife Val because she is an avid bottler and preserver of our garden produce.

She pulps, cooks, dries and freezes tomatoes, she also makes Tomato Relish, Cucumber Relish, Chutney, Pickles, Pickled Cucumbers, pickles Beetroot etc. etc. she also freezes Beans and Rhubarb and apple. She makes Strawberry Jam Apricot Jam and a wonderful Marmalade, and I'm sure there are other things I've forgotten as well.

We simply can't eat it all and give most of it away, but still end up throwing some away each year and this really upsets Val. To make matters worse her preserves are always delicious as well.
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Bob I agree, Tomato relish is great and Val has already made a big batch.
Another thing worth trying is Cucumber relish especially with cold Lamb.

Cheers Terry