WILKES-BARRE — As spring rolls into summer, thoughts often go to harbingers like the first robin, baseball, trips to the shore, and outdoor adventures.
For me, it’s home-grown tomatoes and that first-of-the-year tomato sandwich.
That’s why I was thrilled to purchase a few of those red delicacies at Thursday’s opening of Wilkes-Barre’s Farmers Market. My friend Amanda Banta of Rowlands Pennsylvania Produce provided the bounty of six ripe tomatoes.
My craving for a fresh, homegrown tomato sandwich was satisfied Thursday evening when I thinly sliced one of the tomatoes and perfectly placed them between two slices of bread and some mayo, added a little salt and pepper, and magnifique!
Most of us love tomatoes and how they are used in so many different recipes. I mean, tomatoes are the heart of pasta, pizza, tomato juice, salads, and, my favorite — the aforementioned tomato sandwich.
Back in the day, my Mom would ask me every day what I wanted for lunch, and my answer would be, “Just make me a sandwich.”
There is something very special about a sandwich — any sandwich — that goes way beyond some deli meat and cheese placed between two slices of bread.
The sandwich variations are endless —and, usually, absolutely delicious.
The sandwich has got to be one of humankind’s greatest inventions — right up there with the television, the automobile, slip-on shoes, quarter-zip pullovers, and baseball.
I have had my share of sandwiches over the years, and I can tell you that I have rarely been disappointed. And I have my favorites, for sure — starting with the fresh tomato version.
I also really enjoy a BLT — bacon, lettuce, and tomato — with mayo and salt and pepper. That’s a sandwich that’s hard to beat.
And there really is something very special about a fried baloney sandwich with some onion, ketchup, and melted cheese. Update: I have recently been making my baloney sandwiches with a sweet mustard and mayo — delicious.
I could go on and talk about the virtues of many sandwiches — club sandwich, tuna, veggie, grilled cheese and tomato, cheesesteak — yes it qualifies — Reuben, French dip, meatball, ham and Swiss cheese, peanut butter and jelly, chicken salad, salami and provolone, oval spiced ham, and turkey — include the Thanksgiving version that includes stuffing, cole slaw, cranberry sauce and gravy — and so many more.
My dad loved sardine sandwiches with onion and ketchup and salt and pepper — that is one I will pass on. But I have made myself an onion sandwich, sometimes adding bread and butter pickles and salt and pepper with butter on lightly toasted bread.
The essence of sandwiches is that they can be constructed any way you like and enjoy.
Now, who among you dares to dunk your sandwich? That’s right, dunking — in tomato soup, or in coffee or tea?
I do — I’m a dunk-a-holic.
I have dunked almost every type of sandwich in any of the three liquids listed above. Yes, I have dunked my tuna sandwich in soup, coffee, and tea. And it is always delicious.
We are lucky to go to an event like the Farmers Market and recall how it was when people like Joe Wende drove his flatbed truck filled with fresh produce through the neighborhood.
Memories are what we must never lose if we are to be eternally happy.
So every Thursday for the rest of the summer into fall, I will visit the Farmers Market on Public Square. Yes, I will purchase some tomatoes. But I will also hunt down fruit and veggies and maybe a hot dog with sauerkraut or a potato pancake or two or three.
The Farmers Market will continue every Thursday through Nov. 12, from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. Live entertainment will be presented every week from noon to 2 p.m.
My Mom would make a tomato-based red soup with vegetables, and she would make homemade noodles. I can still taste that soup — it was the best. Sometimes she would add beef. My friend Barbara Shevock DiGiovanni makes a very close version of that soup, and she always shares.
And then I start to think about Mom’s potato salad and macaroni salad and coleslaw — all homemade and oh so delicious.
And I think about her Missouri and her ham dinners and her roast beef and mashed potatoes and everything she would make. And the side dishes — those relish trays with radishes, pickles, olives, scallions.
The only way we can return to those simpler times is through our memories. By remembering all that was so good, we can revisit those days and cherish them.
But for now, a fresh tomato sandwich with a little mayo and a glass of cold milk will do the trick.
Thursday marked the beginning of another celebration of our local farmers,n and we appreciate all they do.
Yes, they grow vegetables and fruits that are delicious.
But it’s the memories attached to all of them that keep us coming back to the table.