It is just about the time of year for tomato sandwiches. For the very small minority of readers who don’t know the significance of the season, I will explain it.

The tomato offers one of the best examples of the difference between vine-ripened, locally grown produce and the food products of the industrialized food chain. Tomatoes are best when they are picked at the peak of their ripeness: juicy, plump, and full of flavor. The window for maximum enjoyment of an individual tomato is a relatively short one. They suffer huge swings in quality when picked either too early or too late. When a tomato is picked during this peak time, most people can’t wait to prepare it in any special way. They prefer to slice it up and throw it on a sandwich (recipe listed on this page). Suffice it to say, these people look forward to this time of year like children anticipate Christmas.

The reason they can’t wait for this time is because the tomato can be down right awful during other times of the year. Growers in far-flung areas of our country and world have to pick the tomatoes early enough to make up for the shipping times and distances. Often this means pulling them off the vine before they have been injected with the last bit of flavor and specialness that they can only get from their own plant. These tomatoes are also bred and selected to be durable for packaging and long trips. Shouldn’t flavor and quality be the first thing to worry about?

Thankfully, we live in an area with a pretty long season for fresh tomatoes, so you might try growing a few in your backyard or in containers. However, if you have a brown thumb you might just try hitting a local farmer’s market or produce stand to pick up some tomatoes (some prime locations are listed below). The consumer also has the benefit of not worrying about the food safety problems with tomatoes right now, because they will be buying their treats from a farmer that is feeding his own family from the same crop. There is no better endorsement than that.

So get some fresh tomatoes and give this recipe a try.

Tomato Sandwich

Fresh, perfectly ripened, Anderson County grown Tomato

White bread*

Mayonnaise

Salt

Pepper

Carefully slice your tomato into tantalizing wheels. Spread mayonnaise on both pieces of white bread. Place tomato slices on one piece of bread, and salt and pepper to taste. Then cover with other slice of bread (mayonnaise side down). Enjoy!

* Some say that the national brands of white bread are best, but I suggest you try it with some fresh baked, local bread. Fresh bread is available at the Farmer’s Market, of course.