I say tomato...
Summer in the south means fresh tomatoes from the garden. I can't take any credit for growing them, that is my wife's domain, but I get the pleasure of turning them into tasty treats for the family.
When I was a child my grandfather had a massive garden. He passed when I was young, but my Nana and my mother love recounting a story of me when I was about three years old in where I was found in his garden, my chin covered in seeds and dripping with tomato juice adamantly denying that I had been eating his tomatoes.
Nothing beats a tomato fresh from the garden. The store bought varieties are absolutely devoid of flavor.
One of my favorite summer snacks is a simple tomato and mayo sandwich on plain ol’ white bread. I sometimes add fresh basil from the garden if we have it on hand. That's actually what we all had for dinner tonight. Fresh mozzarella is a great addition too.
You also can't beat a BLT. That, in my opinion, is the greatest sandwich ever invented by the human race. I tend to make mine with turkey bacon these days, but they still hit. Bonus points for adding sliced avocado for a BLT-A.
Another southern favorite of mine is the fried green tomato. I have never found a green tomato in the store, so I only get these once or twice a year. That just means they are extra special when I do get to eat them. I batter mine in cornmeal, pan fry, and serve them with a homemade adobo aioli. Perfection.
The movie, Fried Green Tomatoes, is excellent too, but that's neither here nor there.
This year we have a bumper crop of tomatoes so I get the pleasure of sharing them with my employees at the library. I'm not one for canning or setting up road side stands so we give away what we can't eat.
We don't have a big garden, just a handful of raised beds, but they get the job done. They feed us well until around July when the cost of watering the plants in the Texas’ heat is hard to justify for the gains. Then it's back to the flavorless store bought tomatoes, but I shall enjoy the good ones while I can.