Be Kind to Your Neighbors

Ah....enjoying a well deserved glass of wine while the water bath boils. In it are the contents of 7 pints of whole roma tomatoes. But I digress. There is a story of how all this came to be. Almost every night, my dogs and I take a walk around the irrigation ponds on the adjacent property. On this trail are two camp trailers that I originally thought might one day be my demise since I had no idea who lived there. Then I met Dave. Dave claims to be "three years older than God". A widower who escaped the home, works part time for a local produce farm and feeds his bunnies and squirrels faithfully. During a friendly visit on my walk I asked him if tomatoes were coming on yet. He said yes...and asked if I wanted some. Sure! I said. I was planning on making tomato sauces and pizza sauces this summer. He asked how much. I said about 50 lbs ought to get me started. He said he'd get them and then I could pay him. Deal! Forward to last night. I get a call from my buddy Dave. He has my tomatoes. Could I come get them. Sure! And I was merrily on my way. Well...when I got there...Dave didn't have my 50 lbs of tomatoes. No. Not at all. Dave had 80 lbs of tomatoes, about 40 lbs of tomatillo peppers, roughly 20 lbs of jalepeno peppers, two honey dew melons, two cantelope and one watermelon! After I picked my jaw up he said he had a proposition for me. I said...oh yeah? He said not that kind! My sugar daddy hopes dashed he said there was no charge for the produce if I would do a canner full of tomatoes for him. DONE! Easiest request ever! Well there was some squabbling about who would pay for the jars but I won that one. Then with a wave of his hand and a friendly "get out of my hair", I was off. To panic. And buy jars. So the first batch of anything is Dave's tomatoes. I am proud of them already. And the friend I have made along the bunny trail.