In Praise of Tomatoes: A Year in the Life of a Home Tomato Grower

by Steven Shepherd

In Praise of Tomatoes is an exquisite, lyrical memoir. In an honest and meticulous voice, Shepherd recounts the age-old cycle of sowing, planting, nurturing, and harvesting tomatoes from his garden - a narrow raised box in his front yard. It begins one December evening as he pages through the newest crop of seed catalogs and leads to cool spring mornings transplanting seedlings and summer afternoons picking ripe fruits with his ten-year-old son. But the harvest is twofold, and includes such wonders as the building of friendships with neighbors, a midnight grunion run on the beach, and a languid raft trip on a warm afternoon. There is Albert, the seventy-eight-year-old neighbor with whom Shepherd shares a garden plot but who speaks no English, and Rose, who uses a time-honored Sicilian family recipe to cook a year's supply of tomato sauce in two afternoons.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jennifer Salazar · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok memoir of the tomato season. As a tomato grower, understood and appreciated all the growing descriptions and techniques. But it didn't read to me as particularly passionate about tomatoes, just a nice family story.

[Lai-san · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I understand that this book was published around 15 years ago, the writer seems pointedly unmindful of organic gardening.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this book recommended somewhere recently, and I went looking for it on Thriftbooks (my go-to for older used books). I miss my dad’s tomatoes so much. I never really talked to him much about the whole tomato-growing experience, and now I wish I had, of course. The way in which growing tomatoes in an urban San Diego setting can build relationships and community is the focus here, along with some 30-year-old gardening advice (spoiler-alert: ample use of chemicals on the fruits & vegetables). The stories Shepherd relates to tie this focus to tomato-growing is a bit wobbly sometimes, but it is also sweet and poignant in more places than it wobbles. I think that my friends who labor over their gardens will enjoy this book. It will not teach a rural former farm girl how to grow tomatoes, but there are lessons to be learned. An enjoyable read. >^..^<

[VerJean Mirrielees · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it !
As Winston says. . .you can write a book about ANYThing.
My reply . . . then ya just don't get how much we gardeners love our tomatoes, etc.
Well, I haven't been able to have a garden for the last decade plus, but it's still part of my soul - planning, digging, planting, watering, nurturing, waiting/watching, pruning, weeding, and delighting in the fruits (and vegetables) of my toils.
Great book.
Read in 2009.

[Jane H]

This was a fine book, I enjoyed reading it and liked how the author was able to really use the tomatoes as a way of building relationships with all of those around him. It felt a little too long, by the end there wasn't too much "new" but I'm glad I read it. I wished I had my own copy so I could pass it on to a friend who just gave us oodles of tomatoes!

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's really a labor of love on Shepherd's part. Recipes too. Yum!

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light book on passion (toward gardening), tomatoes and community.