Homegrown tomatoes are a luxury like no other in the South. During these summer months, porch ledges are lined with tomatoes that need just a little more time in the sun to reach edible perfection. When I was little, there was an anthem that was sung during these holy days…

My dad once referenced this in one of his sermons at which point my mother stood up and led the congregation in the chorus. (#southern #smalltown)

I also insisted on starting all my presentations with that song when we designed HGTV Gardens a couple years ago. I choose to think it endeared me to our NYC colleagues who were unfamiliar with this season second only to Christmas.

This year, I’m happy to report that we’re growing 7 heirloom varieties in our garden.

And they’re inspiring more than their fair share of art projects. (More on that at a later date.)

I take mine most often on homemade toast with a little salt and pepper. But thanks to the magic of Twitter, I’ve found that how you take your tomatoes most often seems to reflect the region you hail from. So what about you?

How do you take your tomatoes?