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Native garden tomatoes are now ripening on the vine, ready for picking and eating in oh, so many ways. These sandwich recipes offered by Cook's Valley Farm in Wrentham keep it simple.

Farm Harvest Tomato Sandwich

This is a basic tomato and lettuce sandwich with cucumber and basil.

Italian bread or other fresh-baked bread, 2 slices

Tomato, thickly sliced Pickling or small salad cucumber, sliced thinly lengthwise

Lettuce leaves

3 fresh basil leaves

Slice of American cheese

Mayonnaise

Lightly spread mayonnaise on bread to taste. Between slices of bread add tomato slice, 2 cucumber slices, lettuce, basil leaves and cheese. Enjoy.

Fried Tomato Sandwich

This sandwich can be enjoyed with or without tomato sauce.

Firm red or green tomato, thickly sliced about 1/4 inch

1/4 cup olive oil 1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

2 slices bread, thickly sliced

Mozzarella cheese slice

2 tablespoons tomato sauce (optional)

Heat olive oil in frying pan over medium heat. In one bowl, beat egg.

In another bowl, mix bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Dip sliced tomato into beaten egg, then dip into bread crumb mixture, cover both sides of tomato.

Place tomato slices into frying pan. Lightly brown tomato slice on one side. Then flip to brown reverse side of tomato.

Lightly toast or grill slices of bread. Place a couple of fried tomato slices on bread. Top with slice of cheese.

Optional: tomato sauce may be spread on bread for extra flavor.

Tomatoes grown in Massachusetts are considered safe to eat by the United States Food & Drug Administration. For more information about the outbreak of salmonella in commercially-grown produce nationwide, and to determine what tomatoes are safe for consumption, go to the state Department of Public Health's Web site at www.mass.gov/dph.