First tomato by July 4

There are certain gardening guidelines that have been handed down from generation to generation in my family. You should plant your potatoes on St. Patrick's Day (which also happens to be my dad's birthday). If you want to avoid worrying about heavy frost, plant your tender plants after Mother's Day. Every gardener is shooting for the first ripe tomato by July 4.

We are not going to make it this year. We have some good looking green tomatoes, but are weeks away from having the first ripe tomato that marks the beginning of tomato season.

Tomato season means wonderful eating, breaking out all of our favorite ways to eat fresh tomatoes, and putting into play our plans for canning. We have been talking about the wonderful pizza sauce and the ups and downs of various salsa recipes. We have tray after tray of ripe tomatoes on every available surface and a corner of my kitchen loaded up with jars, rings, flats, and all of the tools to preserve our garden's bounty.

We can't wait!

Until then...we watch...