The Sandwich That Changed My Life
Friday, 13 May 2011
Oh hello there. I’ve missed you. I am still here.
We went tomato picking at our local farm today. One dollar for a full plastic bag. That equates to about 14 pounds of tomatoes for a dollar. How could I pass that up?! I spent a total of five dollars on 73 pounds of tomatoes, which I still cannot believe. So now the tomatoes sit on my kitchen floor, awaiting their canned fate.
In addition to 73 pounds of tomatoes, I also have very dirty fingernails which no amount of nail-brushing will scrub out, and a complete respect for the migrant workers who pick most of our nation’s produce.
When we arrived home from the farm, I was hot, exhausted, and hungry. I managed to muster the strength to make this sandwich, and it was a miracle: grilled yogurt-marinated chicken, provolone, fresh-picked tomato, alfalfa sprouts, red leaf lettuce, and a schmear of mayo and horseradish mustard on a bakery roll. Homemade pickles and a glass of my first batch of kefir water, to wash it down. Just thinking about it now makes me want another one.
My near-religious experience with a chicken sandwich could have been because I was so hungry, but it also could have been because I spent the morning communing with a field of tomatoes. Somehow, being on a farm always makes me so happy, and leaves me feeling inspired in the kitchen. I am determined to find a way to garden. I’m desperate to. We are contemplating drastic measures to make that happen in our own yard. For now I have some herbs in pots, and I am registered for a chicken-keeping class, and that will have to suffice until fall. Of course in this Florida heat, fall is about a million years away, which leaves me plenty of time to plan.
No. 1 — May 14th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
That sandwhich sounds fabulous! Except for the horseradish, which I can’t handle since a boyfriend stupidly had me eat a huge spoonful of (I’d never tasted it before). Alos, I can’t get into Kefir water, at least as my neighbor friend makes it. Question of taste I guess, I know peoplewho swear by the stuff.
Bravo on the tomatoes! You’re going to have to source an awful lot of jars! What fun, you research recipes and make big batches of sauce, too!
No. 2 — May 16th, 2011 at 6:08 am
I’m so envious that #1 the tomatoes were so inexpensive and #2 that it is already time to go out and pick fresh produce where you live. In Ohio this won’t happen for quite awhile, especially this year with all of the rain.