The Main Event: Tomatoes – BLTs

Gardeners and gourmands wait all year for August tomatoes, and right now we are thick in the middle of tomato season. For many, they are the main event of the year; meaty and juicy, they are a gardener’s dream. Since they are so good and easy to grow, if you have ever had even a fleeting interest in gardening, they are the perfect place to start. And tomatoes are often a gateway vegetable, leading to a more serious gardening addiction.

While it’s obviously too late to grow tomatoes this season, it is well worth thinking ahead. If you are considering growing tomatoes next summer, examine your yard now and search for a spot that receives full sunlight (at least 8 hours per day) all summer long. Think about digging the plot now and preparing the soil in the fall, before the frost. That way it will be less work, and you will be more likely to follow through with your plans. Tomato plants also grow beautifully in pots on a porch or patio, as long as there is sufficient sunlight. Think about purchasing large pots from the nursery in the next couple of months, when summer supplies are on sale at marked down prices.

As tomatoes are so popular, there is no need to start them from seed; tomato plants can be purchased at every nursery in late spring, and they should be planted after the last frost – mid-May in New York where I live. I recommend planting at least two types of the hundreds of varieties available – a slicing tomato, such as beefsteak, which is great in a BLT sandwich, and cherry tomatoes, which you can pop in your mouth like candy. And since they grow and pair so well together, why not tuck a few basil plants right next to the tomatoes?

Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwiches

Because tomatoes this time of year are at their peak, and it is too hot to do serious cooking in the kitchen, it is the perfect time for simple foods that let tomatoes shine. A plate of ripe, sliced tomatoes with a sprinkle of kosher salt is a perfect side dish. Take it up a notch by supplementing it with chopped basil. Score extra points by adding fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of olive oil. Of course grilled bruschetta is even more special.

But one of my favorites, the humble bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, also fits the bill. And while I probably don’t really need to provide a recipe, I thought they were worth writing about since they taste best with summer tomatoes, whether from the garden or farmers market.

I try not to eat bacon very much, and I eat far less bread than I used to. But a couple of times of year in late summer, I have a BLT with big, thick slabs of fresh, warm, juicy garden tomatoes. Because tomatoes are such a critical component of the sandwich, it’s really the only time of the year it is worth having a BLT.

I like a classic BLT; toasted sandwich bread – nothing too fancy, and iceberg lettuce – for crunch. The bread must be toasted to stand up to the brittle bacon and juicy tomatoes. The tomato should be sliced at least ¼-inch thick, and there must be a healthy smear of mayonnaise for creaminess and acidity, a perfect balance to the salty, crispy bacon. If you feel like getting fancy, feta or sliced avocado make great additions.

Tomatoes are the main event in my garden, and BLTs with freshly harvested tomatoes taste like August.

20 minutes, 1 sandwich

4 slices cooked bacon

2 slices toasted bread

Mayonnaise

1 large summer tomato, sliced at least ¼-inch thick

Iceberg lettuce leaves

1. Cook the bacon.
2. Toast the bread.
3. Spread the mayonnaise on one piece of toast. Don’t be cheap.
4. Place the bacon over the mayonnaise and cover it with tomato and then the lettuce. This setup helps maintain the integrity of the sandwich while you eat it.
5. Close the sandwich with the second piece of toast and slice the sandwich with a serrated knife. For some reason BLTs taste better when sliced in half.

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