Winter Harvest

When we moved into our villa here in Dubai, the garden was a desolate sandpit. forgive the foggy image, my camera lens had steamed up in the 100+ degree heat back in September. Thanks to the efforts of our landscaper, the garden was transformed into a grass filled, plant filled little oasis.

In the process, some strange things started to happen in the garden. Along with the usual acacia sprouts and grasses, some recognizable plants appeared. One day when I was pulling weeds, I yanked a plant and smelled it instantly. It was basil! That same day, I spied a plant that looked amazingly like a tomato. At first, I thought it was some sort of nightshade. Within a few more days, it was clearly a tomato plant. The leaf shape, blooms and leaf smell all screamed "TOMATO!" Since I left many ripe tomatoes behind in PA when we moved, I couldn't believe my luck that I could possibly have a blooming tomato plant without even putting a seed or seedling in the ground. I crossed my fingers and hoped for pollination, and it happened. We have seen real bees here in Dubai, and they have turned my tomato blossoms into cherry tomatoes. The fruits are are thicker skinned than the varieties I planted in PA, but they are fresh and yummy. So far, we have picked about four, but there are many, many more ripening. Here's some footage of our December harvest!