missing, grass flowers, tomato

... and forlorn.

Although, in one form or another, we eat the seed, we often forget, because they are usually so inconspicuous, that grasses have flowers. Today, while putting another book away, I take off the shelf The Penguin Dictionary of Natural History and open it at random. It opens on a page with a diagram of a typical grass flower. The names of the different parts of the flower - awn, glume, lemma and palea - more than make up for the flower's small impact.

We are still eating the rare varieties of tomato which were on display at last Saturday's Farmers' Market. One, though ripe, is green and remains green. Another - a plum tomato - is green but generously streaked with red like a sunset sky. All have good flavours and thin skins.