Grape Leaves in Spring

Crawford County Kansas

We have finally had a few dry days here in SE Kansas. The grapes are leafing out. Ive been seeing Yellow throated Warblers in the woods near home and my first humming bird of the season buzzed me the other afternoon. We have been busy with outside garden work. I actually got our tomato plants out. Varieties we are growing this year are Brandywine, Big Boy, Tomato 100, Jet Star and a new German Heirloom who's name slips my mind. Last year was so wet we didn't do too well, usually we wind up canning lots of salsa, freezing many bags of tomatoes and enjoying them fresh most of the summer.

Here's a great song by Guy Clark
"Homegrown Tomatoes"
There's nothin' in the world that I like better than
Bacon, lettuce and home grown tomatoes
Up in the morning and out in the garden
Pick you a ripe one, don't get a hard 'un
Plant 'em in the springtime eat 'em in the summer
All winter without 'em's a culinary bummer
I forget all about the sweatin' and the diggin'
Every time I go out and pick me a big'un
Home grown tomatoes, home grown tomatoes
What'd life be without home grown tomatoes
There's only two things that money can't buy
That's true love and home grown tomatoes
You can go out and eat 'em, that's for sure
But there's nothin' a home grown tomato won't cure
You can put 'em in a salad, put 'em in a stew
You can make your own, very own tomato juice
You can eat 'em with eggs, you can eat 'em with gravy
You can eat 'em with beans, pinto or navy
Put em on the side, put em on the middle
Home grown tomatoes on a hot cake griddle

I cant wait.