We see a LOT of tomatoes come through the auction this time of year. Tomatoes are actually our top-selling produce item of the year. Many customers have been busy turning them into salsa and sauces. It has been heartening to see more people turning to canning and preserving food this year due to the pandemic. Though it can be frustrating when every store is sold out of lids! I wrote this short meditation on the tomato, while thinking about this season of transition between summer and winter. Enjoy.
Tomato
Today is
a ripe tomato
full of summer’s rain
ready to burst.
Stand still
for a moment
full of winter’s longing
ready to taste.
Molly Sowash is a national service AmeriCorps member with Rural Action‘s Sustainable Agriculture team. You’ll find her at the Chesterhill Produce Auction loading produce, checking customers out, or making friends with the livestock. She studied Creative Writing at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN and lived in Minneapolis for three years before returning to her roots in Ohio.
Write a Reply or Comment