Tomato Season

I have just returned home from another great mission trip to New York City. I had a wonderful time and that city wins over more of my heart each time I am there.

But I got home just in time to catch the peak of tomato season at the farmer’s market. There are so many beautiful, delicious varieties right now, it’s hard to control my tomato-lovin’ self.

While vine-ripened regular tomatoes large and small are all great right now, this is really the time to savor heirloom varieties. So, what’s all the hype with heirlooms? Are they really better and worth the higher price tag? My personal opinions is that it depends on how you are using them.

In order for a tomato to be called an “heirloom”, the variety must be able to reproduce itself from seed, be more than 50 years old, and have its own story, such as a relationship to an ethnic group or region. They are not mass-produced, they are often odd-shaped, some small, some huge, and in a wide range of colors and flavors. They can also be a little finicky to grow, so that is why you pay a higher price for these beauties.

Heirloom tomatoes are indeed worth it for dishes where the tomato plays the starring role. They are the natural choice for the Southern classic – the tomato sandwich.

Growing up in the Midwest, our family was serious about sandwiches, but we didn’t do plain tomato sandwiches. In fact, the first place I heard of tomato sandwiches was the book, “Harriet the Spy.” In the book, the main character, Harriet refused to eat anything else for lunch. While I loved tomatoes, I often wondered what all the hype was about a plain tomato and bread sandwich.

Then we moved to the South. Tomato sandwiches are a serious deal here, and for good reason. When featuring a nice, juicy heirloom tomato and some wonderful crusty bread, it is the perfect ode to summer.

For my own version of this classic, I selected some German Johnson tomatoes, a couple of Cherokee Purples and some lovely Brandywine tomatoes.

If you are interested in the stories of heirloom varieties, you can learn a lot from a book called, “Epic Tomatoes: How to Select & Grow the Best Varieties of All Time”, by Craig LeHoullier. He lives in Raleigh, NC, and has helped name and popularize many of the varieties we know and love today.

Any Southerner will tell you that the ONLY mayonnaise to use on a tomato sandwich is Duke’s Mayonnaise. I had never heard of Duke’s before living in the South, but it is a big deal here. Honestly, I don’t usually use Duke’s, but to keep my sandwich genuine, I bought some just for this. If you are not living in the South, you can find Duke’s on Amazon to fulfill your Southern cuisine needs.

The final ingredient is some good bread. Many folks swear by simple white bread, but I like crusty, rustic sourdough bread. I bought mine from the Annelore’s German Bakery stall at the Raleigh Farmer’s Market, but they have a new location in Cary as well.

Simply slather the bread with Duke’s mayo, and stack on your delicious slices of tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. That’s it. Amazing.

If you wish to try something a little fancier with your gorgeous tomatoes, you can add some fresh mozzarella cheese and basil to make a Caprese sandwich. Brush the top sides of the bread with some olive oil and grill it to a nice golden brown.

A tomato sandwich is a simple but glorious lunch to enjoy on a hot summer day. I hope you can enjoy some heirloom tomatoes before the brief season is over. If you have any other recipes that glorify these beauties, please share them with me.

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