Courtesy All-America Selections / Submitted photoBrussels Sprouts Hestia F1

It borders on pathetic to spend the better part of the day trying to construct a Rube Goldberg creation to ward off the two bucks that decided the tomato boxes on top of the 4-foot-high above-ground cistern must contain the very best food ever.

The aggravation is that they strip the tomatoes off the vine and leave them after attempting to take a bite. Deer have no upper incisors. Bottom teeth meet a tough upper pad in the top of the mouth. When a deer has a mouthful, it quickly pulls its head to one side to tear the food free. I picked up and discarded more than 20 ripe and almost-ripe tomatoes after one of their dinner parties.

To set the scene, there are five “human” steps to the top of the cistern. I’m not sure if the bucks use the stairs or if they do a pogo-stick jump to the top, also clearing the 18-inch-high wooden boxes. Last year, I saw a deer once but didn’t take any action as the damage wasn’t significant or recurring. This year is different. I feel like I am in a “Caddyshack” scene, only with deer.

The Wikipedia definition of a Rube Goldberg creation is a “contraption, invention, device or apparatus that is over-engineered or overdone to perform a simple task in a very complicated fashion.”

I looked around the property and found three trellises, some chicken wire, several garden art stakes, rebar of various lengths, more tomato cages and a few leftover PVC hoops. It was like an obsession trying to think of something else I could use. Where were you, Bill Murray, when I needed you? Nothing worked.

Through all of the seasonal trials and tribulations, do I ever get discouraged? Certainly, but it is always short-lived. Because along comes the notification for the 2015 All-America Selections and I start a list once again, deer entirely forgotten. How can one resist?

All-America Selections is an independent, nonprofit organization that tests new varieties and identifies the best performers each year. The organization recently announced its 2015 Regional Vegetable Selections.

According to the announcement, the six winners were trialed during the 2012 and 2013 seasons next to two similar varieties that were current market favorites. The AAS judges grew the entries and then did a side-by-side comparison of growth habit, taste, disease resistance and more to determine if these were truly better than those already available to home gardeners. Only those vegetables with superior taste and garden performance are given the AAS stamp of approval. AAS winners have been awarded since 1932.

Here are the six winners, with descriptions according to All-America Selections.

Brussels Sprouts Hestia F1 (Southeast, Mountain/Southwest winner) is only the second Brussels sprouts ever to be granted the award. With so many new recipes beyond just steaming, Brussels sprouts will probably join kale as a trendy vegetable. Hestia was judged notably more uniform than comparison varieties. Hestia tolerated much cooler temperatures, and the flavor improves deliciously when temps dip into the 30s.

Cucumber Parisian Gherkin F1 (Northeast, Mountain/Southwest) is an excellent mini or gherkin pickling cucumber that can be picked either at the midget size or small-pickle stage and processed. The crisp cucumbers have a sweet flavor and can be enjoyed fresh in salads and slaws. Plants are semivining and can be planted in the garden or staked patio containers. Parisian Gherkin is one of two organic AAS winners — a first for the organization.

Pak Choi Bopak F1 (Northeast, Great Lakes and Mountain/southwest) is the first pak choi in 82 years to become an AAS Winner. Bopak matures early, and the tender leaves with crisp sweet stalks taste great. Swap stalks for celery sticks, add to soups and stews or grill on the barbecue. May be harvested as a baby pak choi as well as grown to full size. Plant can be used as an attractive “thriller” for patio pots and containers.

Pepper Sweet Sunset F1 (Southeast, Heartland, West/Northwest) is a compact banana pepper that is vigorous and sets a large amount of concentrated fruit. The plant produces attractive, colorful, tasty peppers that are great fresh or canned. Can be container-grown. Produces early, often and late into the season.

Lettuce Sandy F1 is the first AAS-winning lettuce since 1985. Sandy is an attractive oak leaf-type lettuce with a multitude of sweet-tasting frilly dark green leaves. Sandy has exceptional disease resistance, especially to powdery mildew, and is slow to bolt. Can be grown as a cut-and-come-again baby leaf or grown to full maturity for loose salad heads. Sandy is the second AAS winner that is available as organic seed.

Radish Roxanne F1 is a hybrid radish with uniform bright red color and creamy white interior. Roxanne is a great-tasting radish with no pithiness or bleeding, even at a larger size. The radish stays firm and solid even when oversized and holds well in the garden. Grows well in a wide range of climates and can easily be grown in a pot at least 4 inches deep.

Hopefully more than one of the winners will pique your interest enough to watch for the seeds from your favorite source.

— Reporter: douville@bendbroadband.com