A tomato picked fresh from the garden and warm from the sun, nothing is better. Nothing!

Growing up my mom had a garden that ran the length of house. I don’t know where she found the time. She grew a variety of vegetables, but honestly I only recall the tomatoes.

Early on she taught me the art of the perfect tomato sandwich. White bread toasted, mayo, sliced tomato. While the structure is universal, the particulars are personal.

Pepperidge Farm sandwich bread and Kraft mayo were our picks. We only had whole wheat bread in our house save two occasions – summer tomato sandwich and Thanksgiving leftover turkey sandwich. No other bread would do.

The crunch of the toast, sweetness of the tomato with the silk of the mayo. Perfection. Absolute perfection.

I love me a tomato sandwich, but this summer I am crushing hard on this new way to enjoy my garden fresh tomatoes.

Could not be any easier to prepare. Pick tomato, cut in half, grate into a bowl.

Sprinkle with salt. I prefer M Salt, it’s a Michigan thing. If you have not tried it, you need to. It is the perfect blend of sea salt, garlic salt and pepper.

Drizzle in some oil, I prefer avocado oil.

Best served with grilled bread as it holds up the saucy mix.

My mom taught me to rub the warm toast with fresh garlic. But in this case, I skipped that step because summer tomatoes don’t need an assist to shine.

Trust me, this is the best summer treat, be it appetizer, lunch or dinner. If you have any leftover, which you won’t, but if you do whisk it into a couple of eggs for a killer scrambled egg breakfast.