ksquest

The Rest of Ft. Lonesome



In the center of the photo is the Ft. Lonesome Grocery. To the left is another little storefront.

That's it.

I've read that Ft. Lonesome is where they grow a certain kind of tomato called, if I remember right, UglyRipe. They're grown by a guy who says the flavor should matter more than the looks. Most of our tomatoes are now "Christmas tree ornament" types, perfectly round and red and pretty looking. Not so much taste, but hey.

UglyRipes are the tomato of my childhood. They may be funny-looking, lumpy, with weird stripes and twists, but they sure taste tomatoey.

Mr. UglyRipe was recently barred from selling his tomatoes outside the state of Florida by the tomato grower's association. They're outraged at the negative impression created by selling non-Christmas tree ornament tomatoes.

We can still get them within the state, but since many of our residents are snowbird-type transients, and can't get their UglyRipes in New Jersey now, there's been something of an uproar about all this. Your average UglyRipe customer is pretty fierce in their loyalty.