Straight-off-the-vine Season

I love it when our ‘straight-off-the-vine season’ finally arrives. That’s when a good number of our fruits and vegetables are ripe for the picking. As Summer continues, there will be numerous varieties to choose from, some from the vines and others from branches.

Over the years I have found that I require no more than a pocket knife and a salt shaker when going out to the tomato patch. When tomatoes begin to ripen, they are at their best when they are picked straight off of the vine, cut in half and eaten with a pinch of salt. I find that tomatoes which are still warm from the hot Summer sun have the best flavor.

Our numerous cherry-type tomatoes are great when pulled from the vines as you are passing by. These small delights make for a perfect snack. Blueberries are another great Garden snack, which is why I find it difficult to pick them. It usually goes something like this: two for the bucket, three for me, five for the bucket, ten for me. They’re just too good to resist.

Later in the season there will be ripe cherries to sample, along with baby okra pods and cucumbers.

We will have many straight-off-the-vine days to look forward to in the days to come.

John Coykendall, Master Gardener