Tomato
This is the kind of thing that drives Cris a bit crazy. She finally insisted that I photograph this thing today and that I get it off the counter. Otherwise I would have let it go for a few more days. / She has been a vegetarian since college (her first BA at UC Chico) and has always said the one thing she missed was bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches. This past summer I spent a great weekend with my college pal Seth Tibbott and bunch of my other Wittenberg friends. Seth was always a bit of a wild man and after he graduated he moved to the Northwest and started Turtle Island Foods, makers of the famous Tofurky. He still runs the company and when we were together he gave me some coupons. They make a tempeh product that resembles bacon and I picked up some to see how it was. Well, it is great, and Cris is thrilled to be able to have tempeh, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches. So when I make them, there is usually some left-over tomato. I left this one on the counter overnight and by the next morning it started growing hair!
Well, hair like things with tiny black balls on the ends. I am quite good in keeping a tidy kitchen, but once in a while I do leave things out. I have seen a lot in my cooking life, but never anything like this. It certainly isn’t mold, but what in the wide wide world of sports is it?
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
undoubtedly… aliens. watch out.
Looks like some sort of sprout – bean sprout. But why it would grow out of the top of a tomato is a mystery.
Having recently been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium I must say it resembles many of the jelly fish we saw swimming around in the tanks.
Was the tomato organic? Or GMO? We had some uncut tomatoes that sort of sprouted like potatoes. Definitely unusual!
Pretty sure it wasn’t organic. Bought it at the Harris Teeter down here. Could well be some kind of mutant though. Thanks for the comment. Jon
Your’s definitely look like some type of a fungus. I had one sprout like the one in this link: http://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/tomato-seeds-amazingly-sprouting-inside-tomato-photos.html and was assured by some scientist that it is fine and not that unusual, though I found it somewhat creepy.
Jon, that is totally too cool. And I think I know what it is: S C J U I L G F O W T.
Yes.
(That’s what Hank said, anyhow. He’s pretty sure that was your message from the universe.)
Also, bacon! BACON! Hardest thing in the world to give up. Whom among us does not love a good BLT? But fakin just has to do in a pinch. Not that Hank would know about that, of course.
Hank, right again. mmmm Bacon.
I’m equal parts horrified and intrigued.
I get it. I lean toward the intrigued though. J
It’s Aspergillus (a fungus or mold) with spores. I think it’s gorgeous, but then I’m a micorbiologist.
Thanks Ozzy. I think it is gorgeous as well. Best, Jon