Edible Gardens

This past summer my family has been creating an organic vegetable garden - in our back driveway. Yep, the driveway. That once mundane and lifeless patch of asphalt has been utterly transformed into raised beds of productive greenery. A few of the fruits and veggies on the menu this year are:

Zucchini
Squash (they look like little lemon-colored UFO's!)
Asparagus
Blackberries
Bell Peppers
Italian and Lemon Basil Plants
Oregano
Thyme
Pumpkins
Raspberries
Cucumbers
Grapes
Green Beans
...and lastly, Tomatoes. With a capital T.

I have to say the most incredible sections of our garden are those containing the tomatoes. This year we went all out and bought several varieties of heirloom tomatoes; Sungolds, Persimmons, Zebras, Siberian Blacks, tomatoes that could never be found (and probably wouldn't even be recognized) in most current grocery stores. I have been absolutely stunned at the variety of unique tastes, shapes, colors, and even leaves that each tomato plant produces. The disparity in quality between store bought and home grown produce especially strikes me when we harvest our collections of grape-sized Sungolds, Juliets, and other delicious heirlooms. Probably my favorites so far are the bright orange Sungolds (above) - so sweet they taste like candy - and the hefty Persimmons (below).  Every homegrown tomato I have tasted has far outstripped the watery excuses for fruit that are stacked up in waxy, muted red pyramids at the store. No, our tomatoes aren't perfect, they have stretch marks, bug bites, mismatched sizes, but every defect adds character on top of their already colorful, flavorful nature.