Tomato Season

Trucks like the one at right are a common sight these days around Yolo and Solano counties. Not all the tomatoes stay in the bin, and road intersections are dotted with the carcasses of tomatoes that flew off from trucks making the turn. The squished fruits will make for a nasty slick on the road come the first rains. The scent from a tomato field is a slightly evil one: they are, after all, nightshades.

Not every tomato is engineered to survive mechanical harvesting and transport at the bottom of these bins. But this is also the time to find luscious organic tomatoes in the Farmers Market and the co-op. People’s gardens are burgeoning as well: yesterday Fernanda brought us over some delicious cherry tomatoes from hers.