I’ve told you all a few times over the years I have been writing this column about the vegetable gardening adventures my family had when I was growing up.

Though we children knew a garden meant hard work, we didn’t realize how blessed we were to have fresh vegetables to enjoy during the summer. And we froze and canned enough vegetables to last a good many months into the winter. As we got older and ate lots more factory-processed vegetables, the difference in taste became very clear.

Among my vivid recollections are the efforts my Granddaddy Jay and my dad put in to growing prize-winning tomatoes. Year after year, they selected the variety they would plant – mostly Big Boys. Then they watered them, nurtured them, staked them up and guarded them from being snacked on by garden pests.

Producing big, fat, juicy, flavorful tomatoes was something in which they took pride.

Those memories came flooding back this past week when one of my kind neighbors brought me a bag of fresh, beautiful tomatoes. He explained to me that I would have to set them out to ripen. I followed his instructions and watched hungrily over the course of several days as they ripened. Oh, what a delicious treat! I made a few old-fashioned tomato sandwiches with the biggest, juiciest tomatoes. I smeared thin layers of “light” mayonnaise on two slices of bread, put on a layer of tomato slices and sprinkled the tomatoes with salt and black pepper. Ahhh, how perfectly yummy! My youngest son Jay asked that I make a big pot of stewed tomatoes with the rest of them, so I did. On a whim, I varied my recipe (see the new version below) somewhat, and the results were quite yummy.

I’m sure many of you have the same fond memories of window sills lined with ripening tomatoes or of walking out to your gardens just before noon to harvest tomatoes to make sandwiches for lunch and again in the afternoon so you could slice up a few for supper or “stew” some to put on top of rice or grits. As the old saying goes, “It doesn’t get any better than that!”

n Tomato Pie

10-inch pie shell, partially baked

4 large eggs, beaten

1-1/2 cups half and half

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese

2 large ripe tomatoes, cut into small chunks

Beat the eggs and half and half well. Beat in the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and mustard. Stir in the cheese. Stir in the tomato chunks. Pour this mixture into the lightly baked pie shell. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes or just until the center of the pie is set. This recipe makes eight slices.

n Baked Tomatoes

4 large, ripe tomatoes

Seasoning salt

Garlic powder

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Dried parsley flakes

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Cut out stem ends of tomatoes and then cut tomatoes in half horizontally. Arrange tomatoes in a 9-inch square cake pan.

Sprinkle tops of tomatoes generously with seasoning salt and garlic powder. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs and melted butter and stir well. Spread crumb mixture over tops of tomatoes with a spatula. Sprinkle parsley lightly over crumb mixture. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top of each tomato. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes or until tomatoes are fork tender but still hold their shape. This recipe makes eight servings.

n Stewed Tomatoes

6 or 8 small to medium ripe tomatoes, peeled

1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped (optional)

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons sugar

Dash of pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

In a large saucepan, combine tomatoes, chopped onion, salt, sugar, pepper and olive oil. Bring to a boil, and let boil about five minutes. Reduce to simmer, and stir in bread crumbs. Simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot on top of rice or grits.

n Perhaps you are searching for a special recipe. Or maybe you have a tremendously scrumptious summer recipe you would like to share with readers of The Times and Democrat. If so, please feel free to write to me at Teresa Hatchell, 179 Cherry Lane, St. George, SC 29477.

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