Discover CharlestonJohns Island, SC: Home Grown Tomatoes And The 4th of July

I walked into work on Monday morning to find a bag of tomatoes on my desk. These aren’t just any tomatoes, mind you. These were homegrown in the garden of Chris and Sebrina Leigh-Jones and there’s just something about a tomato that grows from the dirt of Johns Island, South Carolina that’s better than anything else.

I can think of all sorts of ways to eat a tomato, but when you’re faced with the heat and humidity of the summertime south, my favorite ways to eat them are as follows:

Good Ol’ Tomato Sandwich

2 slices of freshly made white bread
2 hearty slices of a vine ripe tomato
Duke’s mayonnaise
Salt
Pepper
Slather both slices of white bread with Duke’s Mayo. Arrange slices of tomato on bread one slice of bread. Sprinkle tomato slices with salt and pepper to taste. Top with the remaining slice of bread. Enjoy!

Cold Gazpacho Soup

1 large cucumber, seeded
1 red pepper, seeded and de-veined
1 red onion
3-4 vine ripe tomatoes, seeded
4 cups of tomato juice
¼ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a Cuisinart, process the cucumber, red pepper, red onion and tomatoes individually and place into a large bowl. Add minced garlic, tomato juice, white wine vinegar and olive oil. Combine all ingredients together and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill and enjoy!

And since the title does also mention the Fourth of July, well, I guess that we would be remiss if we did not wish you a very safe and Happy 4th!