This is the second tomato I harvested from the Lemon Boy. I called this post "First Bite" because the actual first one didn't quite count, as the tomato was an earlier one that had split from the heavy rain and had to be eaten. It was under ripe, though tasty. THIS one was the first tomato that appeared on the plant and was removed at just the ripe moment. A moderate squeeze showed some give to the taut skin, which meant it was ready. It took a firm tug to get it off the stem, so it probably could have stayed another day. But with all the water the plant had just taken in and the other split tomato, I didn't want to risk another ugly split.
How big is this tomato? Uh, not all that big, really. It gets whooped by a tennis ball.
They say a tomato can be sweet and tasty whether it is large or small; in a moment I'd know. So I sliced into the little fruit to see what the contents were. I was amazed to find very few seeds and lots of lush looking flesh.
I sank my eager teeth into this bright lemon drop of a gem.
And wow, very tasty indeed. I gave it two bites without any additives, just to see how it was au naturale. Nice. Semi-sweet with a meaty, slightly juicy consistency. A little bit of salt would do the trick for an even better flavor. I took out my black salt grinder, twisted it a little, and let some of the Hawaiian sourced mineral to scatter on the surface. I took a bite. YES! A really nice balance of sweet and salt. If I can get the Lemon Boy to produce a good hefty crop, it'll be well worth growing once again. As is, more fruit has appeared and the production line of grow-to-ripe is underway.
I presently don't have the means of growing a significant number of tomatoes, so I'll have to be selective next year despite wanting to grow about 6 different varieties at this point. Most will be heirlooms. One will be a hybrid, and at the moment the Lemon Boy is at the top of the list.
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