I say Tomawtos

I get my best ideas at three in the morning.

This morning I'd spring out in the garden bright and early and just tear out those overgrown tomato bushes, the ones still bowed down with unripe fruit. Then, and here's the thinking part, I'd take those unruly branches down the basement and hang them upside down from the rafters.

That way, I had read, the fruit will ripen and you don't waste a thing. Yes I do know about green tomato relish. forgetaboudit.

Anyway, by the time the sun came up and I was actually out there, it didn't seem as good an idea. In fact, it was one of the worst. The damned roots were enormous and unwilling to budge and the branches were seriously clinging to the cages.

A quick phone call and my sweet daughter-in law Miss Lorrie agreed to take whatever I could wrestle free and she'll ripen them in paper bags and then make salsa.

Now that's a plan.

This is most of the heap after they had been wrenched from their home.



This is where they'd been, tucked between three kinds of peppers, basil and one fennel.I was curious to see what the latter would grow up to be and as far as I can tell, it never did.



This is what I culled from under the bushes. Out of sight there's another huge pail full picked from the branches.



The good news is that once the tomatoes were planted in the spring the bunnies stayed away from the garden. The bad news is that this little wretch appeared the minute the harvest was complete.