So, you might be headed out to your local farmer's market this weekend, or any other weekend for that matter. You are walking around, perusing the fresh and tasty items that are available. Suddenly, the distinctive smell drifts by: fresh heirloom tomatoes. You know the kind, they are shaped somewhat strangely, and they begin to rot in a couple of days, but they are some of the best flavors one can get at the farmer's market.

The last time I stopped by my farmer's market, I noticed that one stand had some heirloom tomatoes. I also noticed they fell into two kinds. The first kind were ripe, but they had split, (perhaps due to over-watering) or they were not ripe enough to eat.

Feeling desperate, I quickly took one of the ripe ones, to make some salsa when I got home. I was not sure what to do with the others. I really wanted more, but the ripe ones just did not look very good. That is when it hit me I could buy a green one, put the green one in the sun when we got home, and it would ripen. Sure, you may already know this, but I just figured it out. Beat me up in the comments!

So I got home and ate the ripe tomato. It was great! I placed the second one in the sun. I checked, and it was ready to go after two days. I cut into it to the now ripe tomato and will only say it was as great as the first one. The next time I go, I am going to try to get the tomatoes at various stages of ripeness, and see if I can enjoy them all week.

So run down to the farmer's market, and check those fresh tomatoes today.

There is one word I like to use to describe Carl's Ice Cream: Unique.

Carl's Ice Cream is unlike any other ice cream place of its kind. You can argue with the Alphageek if it is the best or not, but just remember you can only get this ice cream here. In the days of chain restaurants everywhere, it is a great break to stop by and get something unique. Sure, maybe the soft serve at some yogurt place is smoother, or some other overused superlative, but that food was probably made first in a laboratory somewhere, and the sprung on the public at the end of some boring science experiment. Here at Carl's you get simple ice cream that has been made this way for years.

Carls Ice Cream (click to enlarge)

We stopped by and got a couple of ice cream sundaes. I got hot fudge and vanilla. It was simple and great. Mrs. Alphageek got a strawberry sundae with nuts, which you can see below. Sorry about the picture, but we wanted to eat before everything melted!

Strawberry Sundae (click to enlarge)

One simply cannot beat the simple pleasures of simple food well done. That's what we love here at Alphageek Talks Food and Carl's always delivers. No need for a long, drawn out review either, Just stop by if you are the kind of person that wants to try something unique.

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