The Tomatoes Are Coming, The Tomatoes Are Coming……

August 23, 2007

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Tomato Season has official began…even though the tomatoes are not ready. For the the last two weeks a steady stream of loyal (addicts?) customers arrive at our farm asking those all important four words: “Are your tomatoes ready?”

There are some that have spilled out of their cars drooling and panting, only to declare “we’ve been searching for you for an hour, you’re the one with those crazy heirlooms, right?” They weren’t too disappointed when they were told they would have to come back in two weeks.

My first week at the farmers’ market I was explaining heirlooms to one customer when I noticed the look in anothers eye. Breathlessly, (I would find found out later that she had sprinted across the market when spying me) she asked if my tomatoes were ready because she bought them last year and couldn’t wait until this season.

Glowing faces sporting wide eyed eagerness suddenly droop and become overshadowed with gloom as I announce, “They’ll be ready soon.” They turn walk away shoulders hunched like scorned lovers, only to look back and say we’ll try back next week…..

The Roster Crows and Crows and Crows…….

Having two small children (4 and 8 years old) growing up on a farm is a chore in it’s self. Keeping them occupied you’d think it would be simple ~ just throw animals at them. Well not literally of course but we do offer up our share of pets to entertain them.

It began with my husband bringing home “Meow Meow” under his coat for my then 3 year old for her birthday. The kitten gasping for breath jumped out landed on my daughter who screamed and ran crying. Ending any “Hallmark moment” my husband had conjured up in his mind. To this day that cat is not the cuddly cat we envisioned for our baby girl. In fact we warn everyone not to go near him but he is one of the best mousers around.

Then came “Mikey” and “Poochie”, two mutts we rescued from the pound, brothers from Puerto Rico. After a year or so Mikey bit the hand that fed him (me) and we found him another home.

The Easter Bunny brought us our first and our last batch of ducklings, six total. In the five years we had lived here our pond waited until we had ducks to dry up. Ahhh, life’s little ironies.

The same Easter also brought us six chicks. They were great, right up until we thought three out of six were roosters. We named them Moe, Larry, and Curly. Moe started crowing first…and chasing after me and the kids. Then Larry (Crazy Larry we began to call him) started to crow and go on the attack. Curly we figured out should actually be renamed Shirley. We made a phone call and took Moe and Larry for a ride with Angelo from Revere. He told the kids who were crying in the back of the car that the roosters were going to a great big field where they could run free. My eldest wanted to know when we could go visit….

Then came “Squeaker” and “Astro” the kittens we got the girls for their birthdays last year. Oh yeah, and the fleas that came with them. Four hundred dollars to rid the house of the critters (the fleas not the kittens). But the girls loved those little flea-bags. These were the cuddly little indoor kittens that “Meow-Meow” never was. Even though my husband was allergic….what a great guy.

Last Easter came another round of chicks from the Easter Bunny. The indoor cats were unceremoniously booted outdoors by their loving owners, where they remain today. Baby chicks get preferential treatment in this household I guess. This new flock has produced at least one rooster. We are waiting to see if a second one starts to crow before making the call to Angelo from Revere.