"When you go to a grocery store, you can't get a good tomato," said Patti Erickson, organizer of the second annual 'Mater Mania, a festival celebrating the peak of tomato season on the Lower Shore, which lasts from mid-July to October. "This is the real deal."

Nine varieties of tomatoes were available for tasting at the Cedar Hill Marina and Park and hundreds of local tomato lovers were there with forks in hand.

Besides picking up a slice here or there, those in attendance ordered tomato sandwiches with their favorite fixings. Some tomatoes were even chocolate-covered.

"I like to dip everything in chocolate so I figured I'd give it a go," Erickson said. "With tomatoes, the possibilities are endless."

Hebron resident Geoff Smoot agrees. Even though he has a garden full of veggies at home, he came to get new ideas on how to prepare them.

"I love these tomatoes," he said. "They just taste better than those you buy in the store, and I always like to taste new varieties."

After eating, festival attendees pulled up a chair and took part in a silent auction or enjoyed live folk music.

Local gardener Sharon Carson came to the three-hour event to sell her fresh veggies and share the taste of the Lower Shore with those who typically buy produce from the supermarket.

"Most people are used to shopping out of stores and they don't know what it takes to grow the tomatoes or what a good tomato tastes like," she said. "Here, they get to meet the farmers and taste the authentic, real food, like I like to call it."

The cost of admission was $5 per person and committee members said they expected to raise about $3,000.

All proceeds will benefit the Medora Harvest Fund -- a program to distribute organic produce to local families in need. The produce comes from the Provident Organic Farm on Nanticoke Road. For people who want to supply fresh produce for a family of four, the cost is $575 for a 30-week supply. Call 410-860-9850 or visit www. providentfarm.org to participate.