JULY 13, 2024

                                                                      PHOTO: MARGARET HOUSTON DOMINICK


As I type this, July’s heat has stifled my tomato plants’ productivity, but those tomato sandwiches of June are still fresh in my memory. This year, the stars of my family’s garden were heirloom varieties—Amethyst Jewel, Cherokee Carbon, and Abe Lincoln (which produced a pound-and-a-half whopper). My wife, Jenny, and I left the tomatoes on the vine for as long as we dared after they showed color on their shoulders (who can trust a greedy squirrel?), and when the time was ripe, we set about making lunch. First, we sliced our homemade sourdough, spread it with a French butter that a friend had brought back from Paris after a Taylor Swift show, and then dropped it in the cast-iron on low heat. While the bread toasted, we plucked basil leaves, sliced a decadent mozzarella, and took our finest serrated knife to the most gorgeous tomato. A little salt and pepper, and we had a simple lunch neither of us will soon forget. (I know, I know. I didn’t mention mayo, but in this case, the sourdough provided all the tang we needed.)

Garden treasures aside, I’m a sucker for nearly all the Southern sandwiches, whether it’s the fried bologna from Robert’s Western World in Nashville or the shrimp sandwich from the Shrimp Shack on South Carolina’s St. Helena Island. If you’re like me, you’ll love the August/September issue, which goes deep on where to find the best sandwiches the South has to offer along with recipes to up your home sandwich game, including next-level condiments and a custom creation from Turkey and the Wolf’s Mason Hereford.

But it’s not all sammies. You’ll find twenty tricks to give your garden old soul, join bluegrass queen Molly Tuttle on the road, and take to the field in search of wild quail in the Black Belt of Alabama. Plus, read our interview with college football firebrand Paul Finebaum, take a trip to Georgia’s most untamed island, and get a cheat sheet for must-watch Southerners in the Olympics.

If you’d like to subscribe (and receive this issue), please consider doing so today, since we have only a limited number of issues set aside for new orders. If you’re one of the G&G faithful, expect to see the issue in your mailbox soon.

I love every issue of G&G, but something tells me this one may be one of your favorites. Come for that irresistible sandwich on the cover, and stay for stories that will make you forget the summer heat and humidity. And if you have any surplus tomatoes, do drop some on my porch.

DAVID DIBENEDETTO

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT & EDITOR IN CHIEF
CO-HOST OF THE WILD SOUTH PODCAST

Follow me on Instagram @davedibenedetto