Notes from Mom’s Kitchen – Tomato Sandwiches

FResh Produce & Childhood Memories
As a child, my father would take us on rides all over the back roads near our house when the weather was good. And one of the highlights of these outings in the late summer was stopping at farm stands and getting fresh produce.
Now I was a very picky eater as a kid, but one thing I did love was tomatoes. And what tomatoes they were! Not like the anemic, tasteless fruit called tomatoes found at the standard grocery store present day, that often look pretty but leave you wondering where the flavor went; these were big and red and heavy with promise and they lived up to it. We would take them home and I would feast on bowls of cut up chunks, simply sprinkled with a little salt… it was the best snack, and sometimes half of a meal!
Today I made myself a tomato sandwich from a HUGE ripe red tomato. Some good bread, lightly toasted, a bit of vegan mayo and THICK slices of beef steak tomato. It was a little slice of nostalgic heaven. The juice mixed with the mayo and soaked into that hearty bread and because the tomato was so fresh and flavorful, it was still the star of the show. I have a feeling I’ll be going back for more tomatoes and eating a lot more of these before the season ends!
Now is the perfect time to get some of these beauties and indulge in a healthy lunch or snack. Use gluten free bread if you are gluten free, or just do what I did as a kid and savor the purity of the fruit on its own. And don’t stop there, once the season starts winding down, pick up a whole bunch before they disappear and freeze them by removing the stems and freezing whole to use in recipes later.
The produce at the Potsdam Co-op is sourced from local growers that still provide produce that tastes like this… A trip just in the front door and you find bins with tomatoes, potatoes, beets, mushrooms, squash, lettuce, and many more depending on the season – all beautiful and just asking to be taken home.
Vegan Mayo is also available at the Co-op as well as several excellent choices for breads that would be delicious as a supporting ingredient for a sandwich like this. My personal favorite is sourdough, but Italian, wheat, rye, a hearty white, pumpernickel…whatever happens to be fresh on the shelf that day, all would work great!
With Love,
From Mom

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