R: Fun to touch plants
- Subject: R: Fun to touch plants
- From: h*
- Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2001 22:22:47 +0200
Mediterranean flavours and fragrances from Greece with the comments from
A.K. Vavourakis could almost be smelled as I read his message.
Tomatoes have certainly become 'Mediterranean' and are an example of a plant
that has been imported-exported-amagalmated-excepted and completely
integrated, world wide. What would spaghetti or pizza be without tomatoes?
Whoever has had plant-ripened tomatoes in Greece, served with a drizzle of
olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt and origano on a hot summer day has moved
a step closer to paradise.
We often forget the fragrance of vegetables, and just today I too was
captivated by ther smell of the beautiful (yes, they are beautiful) leaves
and remembered my childhood summers. Vavourakis' message couldn't have been
more timely. I have located seed of an almost forgotten tomato that was
highly appreciated 50 years ago - pink pondorosa.
I have also been naughty this year and upset my 'bella figura' Latin
husband. We have little space for vegetables in our garden and too much
shade so I planted a few tomatoes in a rose bed. They have enjoyed this
position and are already nearly shoulder high (tied on poles which also made
my husband shudder) and will be soon producing the first tomatoes. The bed
has an unusual mixture of plants, but strangely enough they are growing very
well together...roses...iris...violets...lambs ears...tomatoes and basil.
We use no poisons so the homegrown food is safe.
Not only do I sniff the roses as I pass by this odd bed, but I also am
enjoying a rub of the tomato leaves and that unique but very likable
fragrance. This sounds a bit like the making of a fairy tale: Once upon a
time there was a garden...
Best wishes to you all,
Helene Pizzi
Rome
----- Original Message -----
From: Vavourakis <akvav@hol.gr>
Cc: <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: Friday, June 15, 2001 5:01 PM
Subject: Re: Fun to touch plants
> I enjoy plants which give up their perfunes when touched: myrtle,
lavender, and yes,
> tomatoes. This is the first year I've attempted growing tomatoes from
seed (a
> non-hybrid from Albania I've been told!) and in containers no less, but
the aroma
> sends me back decades when tomatoes were tasty and fragrant...and their
smell
> lingered on one's hands.
>
>
