Homegrown Imperfection

There are several views here of an imperfect tomato from my garden.  Now to be completely honest, I would not buy this tomato out of the produce section of the super market.  Raising it myself, however; I feel completely comfortable cutting out the bad spot.

I know there are no chemical pesticides in my garden, so sometimes pests take a bite, before I catch them.  There are no chemical herbicides in my garden, so a certain level of diligence is required or the weeds will win.  I trust the integrity of my seeds company, so there are no GMOs in my garden, either, which again calls for due diligence in tending.  The vegetables in my garden don't kill weeds and pests!  That diligence of presence is what allows me to know what is going on with the produce I harvest and the food that goes on my table. I like the fresh vegetables, but even more importantly, I'm preserving nature the way our Creator created it.  I take this responsibility quite seriously.

Now, back to my little imperfect tomato.  I looked down one evening through chores and saw that bright red in the middle of the tomato cage.  I cage my tomatoes, rather than stake them or let them travel over the ground. The cage offers a little extra protection, just in case one my goats gains access and it keeps tomato picking from being back breaking work.  So I reached in and picked that pretty little tomato, then saw the bad spot.

I kept the stem on it so the various angles could be differentiated.  I weighed the little imperfect tomato and it weighed in at 5.56 ounces. Not large, but three to a pound isn't a bad size.  I weighed it though, so I could determine how much I lost when removing the blemish.   After removing the blemish, which was only a little more than skin deep, the tomato weighed 5.47 ounces.  Less that 0.10 of an ounce was inedible.  One tenth of an ounce is 3ml.

Homegrown, imperfect produce is still edible, usually.  Common sense and instinct will tell you if there appears to be a larger problem.  Usually the rest of the product is fine!

The thought always goes through my mind, as I am fully aware of the "food chain" in retail.  The absolute best is showcased, and the seconds are canned or used for juice or ingredients. As I considered the little bad spot on my imperfect tomato, I have no idea what the tomatoes looked like before they became ketchup or prepared sauces.  This imperfect little tomato would have never been seen in the fresh produce aisle, but it was truly delicious!