Short Story #3: THE $64 TOMATO by William Alexander
Warmer weather has finally come to Nova Scotia and, although it may not stay, I know it will soon be time to be getting out in the garden. With that in mind, I’ve been reading a lot of gardening-related “short stories”. Okay – they’re really essays, but I’m stretching this to give you some variety in Dead Book Darling’s Short Story Challenge.
Introducing the piece The $64 Tomato, The Gardener’s Bedside Reader 
“Vegetables harvested from the garden have a freshness and fullness of flavor well above and beyond anything one can buy in a supermarket. But how does a homegrown tomato, for example, compare in price to one purchased at the local Piggly Wiggly? In this excerpt from the book The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden
The results aren’t actually that surprising, given the title of both the essay and the book, but you get the picture. This was an entertaining excerpt of what promises to be an entertaining and down-to-“earth” book. (Sorry – the fresh air’s gone to my head.)
I had to laugh at the title of this one. As I gardener I know full well how someone can lose their sanity trying for those perfect veggies. And fighting the critter and bugs who want to eat them first!
I know, it’s so easy to get carried away, Leslie!
I remember reading this years ago. Though I really don’t have as much space as I would like, I love to garden. What are you going to plant?
Vasilly, until this year, I’ve really been a flower person, but I’m planning to expand one of my flower gardens to include some tomatoes, green beans, garlic, brussel sprouts and maybe a couple of others, as a start to this great eating adventure. 😉
What would you put in if you had the space?