• Home
  • ABOUT
  • VIDEOS
  • Contact
  • SHOP

The Impatient Gardener

Edibles, Garden

Summer, celebrated with a perfect BLT

September 3, 2019

I can tell you the exact moment that summer started at my house:

12:27 p.m. September 2. 

You read that right. That is the moment that summer started. Reports of summer’s death have been greatly exaggerated. And in this house summer starts the moment that I take the first bite of  BLT featuring a giant slab of tomato from my garden.

Let’s be clear here: There is no higher purpose in this world than a BLT. It is what all non-cherry tomatoes should aspire to. It is also the only chance a tomato ever has to outshine bacon.

bacon

Cook up that bacon to perfection. For me, that’s chewy with a bit of crispy on the edges, but I’m not the bacon police; you do you.

There are times for fancy BLTs. The addition of avocado, for instance, is completely worthwhile. But this BLT—the most important sandwich of the year—is not the time for anything that strays from B, L or T. Other than M (mayo), which is sacrosanct. 

tomatoes

One day’s tomato harvest; the moment I wait for all year.

It’s not been a stellar year for tomatoes in the garden, although honestly those rarely come around. There’s just not enough heat here for them to do that well. But I plant a lot of tomatoes of all sizes, colors and flavors, and something always makes a good showing. I’ve been enjoying cherry tomatoes for several weeks now (which is the main reason I grow cherry and cocktail type tomatoes), but I picked my first large tomato just a few days ago.

The perfect first-of-summer BLT starts with a country french bread or possibly a light sourdough, toasted to a perfect golden brown. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good multigrain, but save that artisanal bread for the end of tomato season. Layer on fresh crispy romaine (in my case, generously provided all summer by my garden). Next comes the star: thick (3/8-inch seems about right), juicy slabs of a gorgeous beefsteak tomato. I used ‘Tasmanian Chocolate’ by virtue of it being the first big, ripe tomato of the year. Then bacon, for me, cooked to that perfect crisp/chewy thing in the oven.But bacon is a highly personal thing so I’m fully in favor of others cooking it to whatever their definition of perfection is. Finally, mayo.

sliced tomatoes

lettuce

Romaine fresh from the garden is layered on first.

blt

Next comes the tomato. I like to go for maximum toast coverage, even if that means cutting a slice up to fit on in one layer. Ideally you’d have a tomato big enough that a single slice can do the job.

bacon on blt

Then put on that gorgeous bacon. This is no time for dietary concerns. This is the most important sandwich of the year. Put the damn bacon on .

By sliding the tomato into the center of the sandwich, not only is the bread protected from tomato juice, it also respects the tomato, ensuring that the “T” is the focus. A BTL, if you will.

There are plenty other things I will do with the oncoming abundance of tomatoes. A caprese salad comes pretty close to that BLT as far as pure tomato enjoyment. And various takes on tomato tart are a favorite. And then, of course, there is the way I eat most cherry tomatoes: In one, delicious, dreamy bite, enjoyed within arm’s length of the plant it grew on.

 

blt summer tomatoes
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
Leave a Comment

About Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

View all posts by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

Related Posts

  • New plants for 2023 to start dreaming about now
  • tomato hornwormHow to find and deal with tomato hornworms
  • Garden wins: What went right this year
  • resdesigned gardenMidsummer garden check-in
previous post: The one thing I really didn’t want to find in my garden (or my house)
next post: A great onion harvest proves taking chances can pay off

Leave Your Comments Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About

The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

Here's some more about me.

CONNECT

Awards

Garden Comm award

MY FAVORITE GEAR

https://www.amazon.com/shop/impatientgardener

Instagram

impatientgardener

E R I N 🌿 The Impatient Gardener
I had a rather unpleasant realization last night w I had a rather unpleasant realization last night when I remembered that I’d not yet ordered tomato seeds. And I’m not going to rectify that until I dig into my seed stash, because I don’t go through tomato seeds quickly so there are definitely some lurking down there. 

I never used to grow tomatoes from seed because there are great varieties to be had in garden centers (including many heirloom varieties). But it’s almost non-negotiable for me now that I’m a convert to dwarf tomatoes. If you’re not familiar with the #dwarftomatoproject championed by @nctomatoman and others, these are heirloom varieties that are crossed with dwarf varieties to create plant that produces all the flavor and interest of an heirloom in a short (usually less than 4 feet) plant. 

They are particularly great in my tall raised beds. Of course I leave room to try new non-dwarf varieties every year (I loved Sun Dipper from @panamseed last year and I’ll grow it again).

Last year was a good tomato year and the photo shows some of the varieties I harvested in one day. I hope this summer will be equally good for the tomato harvest. 

One of my favorite questions to ask gardeners is: What is your favorite tomato variety to grow? So have at it in the comments because inquiring minds want to know!
And this is why I leave my winter containers assem And this is why I leave my winter containers assembled until at least March. A dusting of snow gives them a whole new look (even if it’s shades of gray). Also, I think I love my Limelight hydrangea even more in winter. Fabulous winter interest!
I’m going to look for opportunities to add more I’m going to look for opportunities to add more ferns to my garden this year. They are such interesting plants and often real problem solvers, bringing texture and color to places that many plants aren’t interested in. Athyrium niponicum (Japanese painted fern) ‘Crested Surf’ grows well for me in part shade (even pushing a bit into part sun) and looks great next to Persicaria ‘Golden Arrow’.
Birds chirping, glorious fresh (i.e. not nibbled o Birds chirping, glorious fresh (i.e. not nibbled on) foliage, and texture galore. I can’t wait to have moments like this again. The star, by the way is Hakonechloa ‘All Gold’ which looks so good with the bold foliage of Ligularia dentata ‘Desdemona’ next to it. 

With the new path, this area will be getting a small revamp. It’s the next spot I’ll be focusing my planning on.
Load More Follow on Instagram

SEARCH

Popular posts

  • Three ways to grow annual poppies
  • Treat your pruners right with a spring spruce-up
  • Oh how I love a great garden path
  • 2 ways to plant dahlias

Find us on Facebook

Archives

  • ABOUT
  • TALK TO ME
  • TERMS & DISCLAIMERS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Home

Copyright © 2023 · Prima Donna theme by Georgia Lou Studios

Copyright 2009-2021 ©The Impatient Gardener