everything is better fried

The carnivore and I have not only planted our own herb garden this year, we have also planted two tomato plants. (It is all very in line with getting more in touch with our food as suggested in In Defense of Food which I just finished reading.) And, we have been partially successful in our first attempts to grow our own veggies. I say partially, because while the stalks are now taller than me, we have yet to pluck our first tomato from the vine. This is not because we haven't had two tomatoes sprout, but because some critter keeps stealing our veggies in the night. The carnivore is especially disappointed, not because he ever eats tomatoes, but because he had named the tomatoes (Beverly and Clark). In any case, it hasn't stopped me from partaking in one of the summer's finest delicacies here in the south - fried green tomatoes!

I tried this recipe I found on the web here. You need the following ingredients:

• Vegetable oil
• 3 medium green tomatoes
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup corn meal

Start by preheating a skillet (iron if you have it) and adding the vegetable oil (or bacon grease if you are making them for carnivores only) to cover bottom of pan about 1/4 inch high. Wash the tomatoes and cut into slices about 1/4 inch thick. Lay the slices out and cover them with salt and pepper, the top and bottom. Mix the egg with the buttermilk and set aside. Then set up an assembly line - flour, batter, corn meal, skillet. Dip the tomatoes in the flour, the egg mixture, and then dip into the corn meal last. Fry them about 3 minutes on each side until lightly golden brown. They are best when served while still warm, but good cold too.

So, until we actually have some tomatoes of our own, we will still grab some of these beauties from the local market and enjoy them while they last. And, I recommend you do the same. They are wonderfully tart. Plus, everything is better fried!