GROWTH SPURT

It looked more like a small pumpkin than a tomato.
Pastor Tom Nomeland and his wife Elana had already produced the largest lily they had ever grown in their background this summer despite the drought. Now they have produced a 2-pound, 3-ounce tomato with a 7-inch circumference.
They did nothing out of the ordinary to produce the lily and did nothing special to produce the tomato.
"We didn't use Miracle Gro or anything; just watered like we usually do," said Tom, who is pastor of Bethel Fellowship Church in Minneota.
The tomato was a special seed Tom researched and purchased online called a "Bill Bean Heirloom." The history of this special tomato is lengthy and uncertain. Basically, the seed was brought to this country during World War II by either an Italian man who immigrated to this country or by a returning American GI.
"It's an organic tomato," Tom said. "The seed is from the 1800s and has never been altered."
Nomeland's tomato had no imperfections on it. The skin was flawless and smooth."We brought it with us to Bible camp and sliced it up and shared it with others," Tom said. "I usually just put salt and pepper on a slice. It was delicious. Usually, when you cut open a tomato, it has chambers that are juicy. This was almost all meat."
Tom said the rest of the plant has also produced large tomatoes, but none as big as this one.
While there is no explanation for why a hot and dry year like this produced such large flowers and vegetables for the Nomelands. Maybe they got a little extra help from a higher gardener. And maybe, just maybe, that's why that tomato tasted like a little slice of heaven.