Tomato Sandwich

When I was little, my favorite thing to eat for lunch was a lettuce and mayonnaise sandwich. Everyday in first and second grades, my mother would ask me what kind of sandwich I wanted to take to school, and I would say "lettuce and mayonnaise." She would ask me, "How about peanut butter and jam? Or bologna and cheese?" And I would answer, "No, I want lettuce and mayonnaise." Iceberg lettuce, lots of mayonnaise (NOT Miracle Whip) slathered between two slices of white bread. To me it was the perfect sandwich, and my mom made them better than anyone else. I tried to make it myself once, but I accidently used cabbage instead of lettuce and it was the worst thing ever. I finally outgrew my obsession with this sandwich, and these days it seems that tomatoes have taken the place for me. Tomatoes fresh from the garden, a little bit of light mayonnaise, and a sprinkling of sea salt, layered between two slices of homemade whole wheat bread. Yummy.

Our tomatoes are starting to ripen - finally. It seems pretty late in the season but its been a little bit cold and cloudy in Los Angeles this summer. It is especially chilly at night, which is very odd for August in L.A. (Hello, climate change.) So as a consequence our vegetable garden is nothing to write home about. But I was pretty excited to eat that first tomato sandwich the other day - it took me back to my old lettuce and mayonnaise days. I'm planning on canning our vegetables this year (which we'll hopefully have enough of), and was stoked to see an article in the Los Angeles Times food section today regarding this very subject. It seems that it has become pretty trendy to can vegetables, fruits, pickles, jellies and jams in these economically challenging times, just like Grandma used to do. Now that's a trend I can get behind. The DIYers are experiencing a Renaissance right now, and I am quite happy about it. The article was helpful because it explained that you didn't have to make huge batches of stuff, which I obviously won't be able to do. I'm not an expert on canning; I remember my sister and I helped my mother can fruits in the summers, but I didn't much enjoy it as it seemed like just another annoying chore. I have a whole different attitude now, but I'll need to read up on it before I start canning away. Tomatoes, chillies, zucchini, maybe something with lemons. And I may buy some fruit or something at the farmers market and make some preserves. Yummy.