Early last summer, Tei’s mother, Eiko, came for a visit at my parents’ house, and we all ate some heirloom cherry tomatoes my mom had bought at a farm stand in Upstate New York. They were dark purpley-green and intensely flavorful. We all just raved about them, the way people in a comedy sketch about the absurdity of “foodies” would.

Eiko, ever resourceful and an experienced gardener, took home some seeds and started tomatoes of her own, which is a delicate task. The next thing we knew, she had several tomato plants baring copious, delicious fruits.

She started a few plants for us too, and they all died abruptly at Peebottle. It seemed their heads had been chomped off, maybe by some dirty street cat!

Eiko had faith in us for some reason, and started a few more plants for us this spring. This time, they’ve taken off, and are just now ripening.

Check out the BEFORE AND AFTER: