The Promise of a Great Sandwich

BLT’s ‘n a car ride with dad…

Every year about this time I ask everyone in the kitchen what they’d pay for one nice homegrown tomato.  It’s just a rhetorical question. Everyone knows you can’t get one around here until July. We’re so flushed with them in September we can’t possibly use them all and here we are in December craving the essence of summer produce.  

I took my dad for a ride up Fishhouse Road Saturday, promising him a great sandwich. One of the great farm families that I’m privileged to work with is up in Northville.  As funny as this may sound, I was heading north to ascertain this week’s bounty of delicious fresh greens. Yup…my friend Brad Johnson is still picking lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, tatsoi in his high tunnel garden beds.  It’s incredibly delicious and fresh!! Brad and his wife Anne Marie run the ’real deal’ Johnson’s Family Farm Store.  Local products, produce, meats, cheeses and a terrific deli/sandwich shop.   Worth the 30 minute ride for a hot pastrami sandwich anytime of year!  Oh, yeah, back to the value of a local tomato… they’re picking them up there too! Incredible! In December! Had a BLT here in the kitchen last night that brought an August sized tear to my eye. Go visit the Johnsons.  It’s a great trip! My dad’s still in awe of their shop. A friend of mine asked, “You have to go all the way up to Northville just to get lettuce?!”

Nope. I GET to!