By Michelle Fabio

One day in early spring, an 80-year-old man decided that it was time to plant his tomatoes as he had done every year for 60 years.

When he got out the shovel to dig the garden, though, he realized that he’d never be able to do all the work himself.

Unfortunately the only person who could help him was his son Vincent who was in prison. Not knowing what else to do, the man wrote to his son:

Dear Vincent,
I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If only you were here my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me.
Love Dad

A few days later he received a letter from his son: Read the rest of this entry »

By Michelle Fabio

For the past few months, I’ve been a proud contributor to Tomato Casual, trying my darnedest to show just how much I adore what we in Italy call “il pomodoro.”

But months of work don’t even come close to what one of my favorite poets has to say about this “star of earth.”

Here is “Ode to Tomatoes” by Pablo Neruda, as translated by Margaret Sayers Peden
Read the rest of this entry »

By Tomato Queen

I don’t know why the tomato bonded
Us, this pulpy, too-brief treat
We dreamt them up on subzero days, poring
Over seed catalogs like porn, luscious red orbs of August
Grew them from seed, peeking for sprouts
Who only needed dirt, water, sun
For leggy stems to climb
We left room for roots, always

Read the rest of this entry »