Green Tomatoes

With basket in hand, I made my way to the garden to pick vegetables, including the tomatoes that were growing along the inside of the garden fence. Yesterday I noticed a few that were almost ripe. Today they would be picked and served with fresh green beans and new potatoes for our supper. Just thinking of the fresh, juicy tomato started my taste buds flowing!

Opening the garden gate, I gazed a moment at the beautiful vegetable plants. I recalled the hard work and countless hours it took to get the garden to this point, ready to harvest much of the produce.  As I walked the garden path toward the tomato plants, I stopped and took a moment to inspect the potatoes that would soon be ready for harvest. The okra and peppers were in bloom. I could hardly wait to fill the table with the abundance of produce, but today my goal was tomatoes!

As I reached the area of the tomato plants, I stopped and was speechless. Instead of the beautiful tomato plants from the day before full of ripe fruit, what I found was vines stripped bare, broken and crumbled in a heap on the ground. Someone had ravaged my plants, taking not only the ripe tomatoes but the green ones also!

Hiding out of view behind the barn door, I waited for the thief to return to scavenge the one row of ripe beefsteak tomatoes that remained. I had a suspect in mind, and my suspicion soon proved right! The thief returned, squeezing his ample body through the narrow space between the fence boards. His accomplice, a little redhead, waited nearby, drooling. She watched as he searched the broken vines until he found one small green tomato. Dropping it beneath the fence in her direction as a token for her patience, he turned his attention to the beefsteak tomatoes. And that is when I caught him by surprise! Bear, our chocolate lab, and his accomplice, our golden retriever, Callie!

However, the tomatoes from the garden that he enjoyed so much will also be his punishment. Nature has a way of taking care of some things, and I think Bear will have learned a lesson. That was a lot of green tomatoes he consumed, and I can only guess what the outcome will be! He may be howling at the moon tonight and never eat a green tomato again!

Since the green tomato episode, we have “Bear-proofed” the vegetable garden by adding extra fence boards. What is next? Did I mention he likes blueberries, blackberries, and muscadines?  The briars from the blackberries do not even stop him! Sweet potatoes, squash, and cucumbers are also among his favorite vegetables.  Two days ago, I caught him with cucumbers from the garden.  He is also a sock eater. He likes them clean or dirty and eats them whole. We have learned to never, ever leave socks where he can find them!