Sweet Serendipity

We never know what the day will bring, even though most of us live our lives with schedules and anticipation of what our day will be like. I certainly didn’t think I would get a great surprise on Saturday. I was working around the house, cleaning and puttering. My brother mowed the field between the house and the road and around the garden. When he got back to the house he mentioned seeing a pepper plant growing near a pile of lumber stacked outside the garden. I walked up to see what was there, thinking that I might actually find a pepper or two. I was pleasantly surprised to find a tomato plant loaded with tomatoes, most of them ripe and ready to eat. Serendipity indeed!

The plant is a volunteer, probably planted by an animal that sneaked into my garden and stole a tomato. It is certainly the Amish Paste tomato; since those were the only paste type tomatoes I planted this year. If you love tomatoes and need a paste-type tomato, this one is for you. It was the first tomato plant in my garden to bear fruit and ripen. The plants were loaded with tomatoes all summer, with just a bit of a slow-down in growth when we had those 100 degree + days mid-summer. The fruit was clustered like grapes and the flavor is great. I use them sliced in salads, on sandwiches, and to can, freeze, and make tomato sauce. Overall, it is a great tomato, and one I plan to plant every year.

A friend of mine ordered the seed from  Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and started the plants in her greenhouse. I can attest to Baker Creek's great selection and customer service. They have a great selection of tomato varieties, but I recommend the Amish Paste. Try them and see what you think, I believe you'll love them too.

Harvested last Saturday from my volunteer plant.