Harvest Time

The harvest has finally arrived!



I felt a little guilty this morning because I didn't get up and go to the Farmers' Market like I'd planned, but once I picked all of these beauties straight out of the garden, I suddenly wasn't so worried about the Farmers' Market. (Although some fresh berries would still have been really nice... oh well.)



We have: Five (5) Pink Brandywine Heirloom tomatoes, in various sizes (the largest ones), and six (6) Roma tomatoes (the smaller ones), in varying levels of ripeness. They were falling off the
vine, so I presume they are ripe enough. But the most stunning gem of the harvest is my very first cantaloupe!



Its only the size of a softball, and I had been waiting and waiting for it to get bigger. I finally googled "garden cantaloupes" and discovered that I had actually grown a Charentais Melon. Its basically a French cantaloupe, but they aren't usually sold in stores because they are too fragile to ship.



So, since I've never been to France and they don't sell these in stores, I've never tasted a Charentais Melon before! I figured there's a first time for everything, so here we go!

Inside, it looks like a cantaloupe, only the seeds seem huge for such a tiny melon. (Granted, I think mine was probably a runt compared to a normal Charentais, so there's that to consider, too.)



Its the perfect size for breakfast-for-one, which is precisely what it became. My breakfast.



Also, the cuteness factor here is at an all-time high. I love tiny versions of everyday things (see Exhibits A and B, Pringles and Carlie, our 5-lb dogs), and this was just so perfect and wee.



Once you scoop out the seeds, there's not much left to it.



Since it was so small, I didn't slice it up -- I just scooped out the flesh with a grapefruit spoon, which worked just fine. It was ripe, fragrant, and delicious. And I kept thinking with every bite, "Wow, this came from my garden." I guess I've gotten used to growing tomatoes, but the idea that I can grow other food in my own backyard still throws me for a loop.



I checked the plant and there are two more baby Charentais on the way -- So exciting! Also, I mentioned to Steven that we'd probably be having "something tomatoey" for dinner this weekend, since I picked so many tomatoes this morning.

His response? "Oh great."

Thanks dear. :) Glad to see you're looking forward to it.