Homegrown Tomatoes

The calendar says it's almost fall. The first day of autumn is next week. But our garden thinks it's still summer. That suits us just fine. Here in the South, people celebrate the very first tomato sandwich of the year. But well into tomato season, we are just as excited to have another good BLT. 

I know not everyone is lucky enough to walk out the back door and pick tomatoes for lunch. Maybe you can find local tomatoes at a farmers market. But if you've only had them from the grocery store, you are missing a treat. Sometimes you will get a flavorful tomato at the store, but they are never as juicy. A really good tomato sandwich should have juice that dribbles down your chin.

Several years ago we had a neighbor plant several acres in tomatoes. Specifically a variety of tomatoes that were ideal for shipping. When they had finished picking and packing and shipping them for the season, the neighbors were welcome to come pick whatever was left. Well, those tomatoes were not like our garden tomatoes. They were much harder. And that makes sense. Our super juicy tomatoes would not survive being packed on top of each other. They would be a squished mess.

So we thank our lucky stars for living where we can grow our own. Just so you know...the best tomato sandwiches are made with Duke's mayonnaise. You'll never convince me otherwise.

And a good tomato sandwich always me think of this classic Guy Clark song. It might replay in your head all day. Or, you might find you're humming the tune for a week.  You're welcome.