Ain't That Pretty?

Cherry Tomato Garden

This can be a favorite time of year for tomato growers like me and many others. The tomato varieties planted throughout the garden are starting to show signs of winding down, except for a few selected varieies. If you happen to be fan of cherry tomatoes, which I am a big fan of, this is an important time of year. Cherry tomatoes come in handy for one singular, but important, event.

I'd like to take credit for this idea, but I can't. It's something that I spotted years ago while attending a UC Berkeley Football game at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. This was the day and age when CSU-Fresno native Jeff Tedford was calling plays for the Bears, plus leading them to some very impressive winning seasons. It was the day and age of Aaron Rodgers at QB for Cal and an unknown freshman at RB named Marshawn Lynch.

It was at this game, seated near the student section, where I spotted a young lady who had managed to bring her own football snack to the game. It's the type of snack that eagle-eyed stadium staff didn't dare try to intercept and throw out. Why? Because it was the most inoffensive home snack that a young fan could bring into a game. It was nothing more than an ordinary sandwich bag stuffed with bright red cherry tomatoes.

College Football Snack

It was, at that point, where I started to kick myself. Hard. I had a garden full of delicious, home-grown cherry tomatoes at home. Yet, it hadn't even crossed my mind to harvest just a few of those delicious, home-grown wonders and bring them to the confines of Memorial Stadium. This one event took place nearly two decades ago, yet I have never forgotten it. What an outstanding and smart idea. Why didn't I think of that?

So, to celebrate the start of each college football season, I've enforced a cardinal rule of harvesting dozens of ripe tomatoes from as many cherry tomato plants that I can. This is the best college football snack that money can buy, and it doesn't cost a dime. It's also a lot healthier for the heart and mind than a hot dog and a beer.

My intent was to plant three cherry tomato varieties this gardening season: Pink Ping Pong, Black Cherry and Sun Sugar. Unfortunately, the plan was foiled slightly when the plant labeled Pink Ping Pong began to churn out monster-sized, pink-colored tomatoes. Not that I'm complaining. There's nothing wrong with monster-sized heirloom tomatoes that turn a pleasant shade of pink. It's just not the cherry snack that I had been expecting.

Cherry Plant Garden

The other two varieties, however, were as advertised. Both varieties grew like champions during the summer. Both delivered enough fruit for me to harvest and give away to anyone who wanted a sack of brown and orange cherry-colored varieties. Fortunately, I live right next door to a home filled with children who can't get enough of them. So, finding a willing taker wasn't all that difficult.

Yet, with the start of each college football season, I will always be reminded of that young college student that I spotted sitting nearby in Memorial Stadium. I will never forget her rather good idea. Many people will celebrate the start of college football season with a barbecue and maybe a favorite fermented beverage or three. I swore off the fermented beverages some years ago. So, for me at least, it's a chilled ice water with a splash of lemon juice. Plus a never-ending selection of brightly colored cherry tomato favorites from the summer garden.

Is this a healthy snack? Yes, indeed it is. But it's more than that to me. It's the memory of that game at Memorial Stadium years ago. It's the memory of a really good idea that never once crossed my mind. I will never forget it.

Go DOGS!

The fact that Jeff Tedford is still coaching college football helps a great deal. Tedford, whom I watched sling the ball during my days at Fresno State, is still churning out great quarterbacks and winning college teams. I'm not sure how far the Bulldogs will go this season. But watching the Bulldogs win the opener against the Boilermakers AT Purdue 39-35 earlier today, was nearly as satisfying as munching on a breakfast snack of freshly harvested cherry tomatoes.

Go Dogs!