You say tomato…

I’m seriously considering going off tomatoes for Lent – and then staying off them, as the months flick past.

I understand why, at first glance, my new moratorium might not seem like a big deal but there’s a method in my madness.

First of all, I eat A LOT of tomatoes. Whether they’re sliced and in a sammich or wrap or salad, or tinned and in a bolognaise or chilli or soup, there is hardly a day goes by that I’m not eating tomatoes of some kind and at some point. However, last year I was lucky enough to receive a gift of some locally-grown tomatoes and it was this gift which instigated for me, something of a Damascene moment. From first bite, these local tomatoes (grown down the road in a poly-tunnel) were a world away from the red fruits I’d been buying in supermarkets.

Sweeter, juicier and with oodles more flavour, there was simply no comparison.

It so happened too that the person responsible for the gift of locally-grown tomatoes also suggested that there would be space for me to grow my own tomatoes in one of the community poly-tunnels.

“Where do I sign?” I said and immediately agreeing to take the proffered space for my own crop.

So why am I packing in the toms for Lent? Well, my thinking is: If I eat no tomatoes between now and my own harvest whenever that swings around (end of June is generally accepted as an early first harvest), then biting into that first red fruit tended by my own fair hand, should be a food moment to top all food moments. The heavens will inevitably open and God himself will appear, saying in a deep, sonorous voice, “Bate them into you, lad. They’re good for you.”

I might even bring along a pinch of sea salt or two – come to think of it, I might even make that first bite a celebration and bring along some buffalo mozzarella, basil and a bottle of wine – and I would imagine eating straight off the vine and in the heat of the poly-tunnel will offer maximum impact.

However, with the road to Hell paved with good intentions, I’m not entirely sure I can give the toms the heave-ho and go without for such a long time. Maybe a compromise could be that I’ll only used tinned tomatoes in my cooking and the fresh variety – my own crop – will remain on the summer horizon as something to really look forward to.

As a tomato-growing virgin (so to speak), I am still very much in the dark when it comes to growing my own tomatoes. That, of course, has led to a great many Google searches about what varieties to plant, how to take care of them and what I should do if problems arise. However, I am minded of what a certain Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall said when referring to sowing carrot seed. He was referring to the instructions on the back of a packet of carrot seed and it went something like this…

“Sow seed sparingly in drills in prepared soil from March to June. Cover with a thin layer of soil and water. Congratulations you are a world expert on sowing carrot seed.”

In other words, despite my green ignorance with tom-growing, it shouldn’t take too long to get the hang of things.

Of course, the other upside to taking on some room in a poly-tunnel for the tomatoes, is the prospect of growing more varieties of vegetables. As such, I have already bought far too many packs of basil seeds, dried peas and lettuce and courgette seeds. I am also on the hunt for some seed potatoes (I’m thinking Charlotte), which might work well in a grow-bag in the poly tunnel.

Exciting times!

Imagine having a bowl of potato salad made with spring onions and chives and everything grown in the poly-tunnel.

It’s only surprising I haven’t taken on this mission before now.

I can hear him now, “Bate them into you, lad. They’re good for you.”