Firsts...and lasts?

The first ripe tomatoes are starting to show up.  I had used a few almost ripe Romas in the Fruit Ketchup that I made last week, but this is the first gleaming red that I enjoyed in all its fresh naked glory.  I should have some ripe slicers by the middle/end of the week.  That's also my first ripe Tigger melon.  They fall right off the vine when they are ready, which is the perfect obvious alert to a clueless first time grower.  Lastly, that could be the last of the healthy cukes.  There are stilll a few coming in, but they all have serious complexion issues...  

The Roma and the cuke ended up here.  Well, I suppose they ended up in my belly.  Well, actually they.....nevermind.  I was aching for one of these salads and hoped the cukes would last til the first tomato came along.  Add some Italian dressing and blue cheese crumbles...perfect!

I'd also been craving a Caprese.  Such was the fate of the second ripe Roma.  Along with fresh mozzarella, garlic, basil, S & P and a drizzle of olive oil...I'll be eating a trunk load of these in the coming days.  Last year, two of the ingredients - the tomato and basil were our own.  This year, we've stepped up to three - adding in our own garlic.  Sounds like progress to me.  Maybe next year we'll shoot for our own fresh mozz.

This is the first time that the apple tree has been so full of apples.  I'll give them another couple weeks before I start on with the applesauce and such.  First time I've had that many sunflowers.   First time I've grown such an abundance of cukes (the dying vines are on the trellises in front of the sunflowers).  And first time I've grown melons - the fuzzy green patch in front of the cukes.

This was just moments after Takoda devoured his first cantaloupe.  Some were getting a bit over-ripe and the fragrance must have gotten to him.  He pulled it right off the vine and started munching.  

I'd be remiss if I didn't add the shot from Kaya's first day of the second grade!  Those smiles are worth more than all the ripe fruits and veggies a fella can grow.