The Perfect BLT Starts Here: Home-Grown Tomatoes at Their Summer Best

August Is Prime Time for the Tomato You Actually Want

There's a very short window each year when tomatoes are worth getting excited about. That window is right now. We're in the thick of late August, and the tomatoes coming into the stand this week are exactly what a BLT dreams of — dense, deeply colored, heavy with juice, and bursting with the kind of flavor that a grocery store tomato can only pretend to have. If you've been waiting all season for this moment, your patience is about to pay off.

At Open Air Market Produce Stand on Barbourville Road in London, we're stocked up on home-grown tomatoes in a gorgeous range of varieties right now. From classic beefsteaks big enough to cover a full slice of bread, to smaller slicing tomatoes with a perfect sweet-tart balance, there's something here for every sandwich style. Come by Monday through Friday from 10 to 6, Saturday from 9 to 6, or Sunday from 11 to 6 — we're open all week and we've got plenty of parking.

Why a Great Tomato Is the Whole Point of a BLT

Let's be honest about what a BLT really is: it's a vehicle for a great tomato. The bacon brings the salt and smoke, the lettuce adds crunch, the mayo adds richness — but the tomato is the star. When you use a thin, pale, mealy tomato from a bag at the grocery store, the whole sandwich falls flat. When you use a proper summer tomato — one that's been allowed to ripen the way nature intended — every bite is a completely different experience.

A good sandwich tomato should be sliced thick. Not deli-thin, not a delicate garnish — we're talking a full quarter-inch or more. It should hold its shape just enough to stay on the bread, but yield the moment you bite into it, releasing that sweet, acidic juice that soaks just slightly into the toast. That's the texture you can only get from a tomato that hasn't been cold-chilled, gassed for ripening, or shipped a thousand miles. That's what we have right now, and that's what makes this time of year so special.

Building the Ultimate Summer BLT: A Practical Guide

Start with good bread — a sturdy white sandwich loaf, sourdough, or even a thick-cut potato bread all work well. Toast it until it's golden and has some structure, because a great tomato is juicy and you need the bread to hold up. Spread a generous layer of real mayonnaise on both slices while the bread is still warm.

Next, your bacon. Cook it until it's properly crispy — not chewy, not burnt, but genuinely snappy. Lay it on a paper towel to drain. Then comes the moment: slice your tomato from the stand into thick rounds, give them just the lightest pinch of salt and fresh-cracked black pepper, and let them sit for thirty seconds. That tiny bit of salt draws out the juices and amplifies everything already great about the tomato. Layer the tomato on first over the mayo, then the bacon, then a few crisp leaves of green leaf or iceberg lettuce. The order matters — lettuce on top keeps it from wilting against the warm bacon.

That's it. That's the whole recipe. It doesn't need avocado, it doesn't need fancy cheese, it doesn't need a drizzle of balsamic. When the tomato is this good, you stay out of its way.

Beyond the BLT: More Ways to Use These Tomatoes Right Now

As good as a BLT is, a truly great summer tomato deserves more than one showcase. Try a simple caprese — thick tomato slices, fresh mozzarella, torn basil, good olive oil, and a pinch of flaky salt. No cooking required, no recipe needed, and it looks impressive enough to bring to any late-summer gathering.

For a heartier sandwich option, consider a fried green tomato BLT if you happen to grab some of the firmer, less-ripe ones from the stand. Dredge slices in seasoned cornmeal, fry them in a cast iron skillet until golden, and stack them just like a classic BLT. The texture contrast is incredible. You can also dice ripe tomatoes coarsely and make a quick panzanella — toss with day-old bread cubes, red onion, cucumber, basil, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. It's one of the best uses for a bumper crop and makes a perfect side dish for any August cookout.

How to Pick the Best Tomato at the Stand

When you're choosing tomatoes for sandwiches, you're looking for a few specific things. First, weight — a good tomato feels surprisingly heavy for its size. That weight means juice, and juice means flavor. Second, give it a gentle squeeze. It should have a slight give, not be rock-hard, but it also shouldn't be mushy or soft in spots. A little spring is what you want. Third, look at the color. Even across different varieties, you want deep, even color all the way to the stem end. A shoulder that's still pale green or yellowish usually means the inside hasn't fully developed its flavor yet.

Smell is another underrated cue — hold the tomato near the stem end and take a sniff. A ripe, flavorful tomato smells green and earthy and sweet all at once. If it doesn't smell like much, it probably won't taste like much either. Our staff at the stand is always happy to help you pick out the best ones for what you're making, so don't hesitate to ask.

Store Them Right and They'll Last All Week

Here's one of the most important things to know about a great summer tomato: do not put it in the refrigerator. Cold temperatures break down the cell walls and kill the volatile compounds responsible for that complex, bright flavor. A refrigerated tomato becomes mealy and dull, and there's no coming back from it once that damage is done.

Instead, keep your tomatoes on the counter at room temperature, stem side down, out of direct sunlight. If they're perfectly ripe when you bring them home, plan to use them within two to three days. If they're just slightly firm, they'll continue ripening at room temperature and may be even better by day two. If you end up with more than you can eat fresh — which is a delightful problem to have — dice and freeze them for soups and sauces this winter, or roast them low and slow with olive oil and garlic to concentrate the flavor and jar them up. Summer tomatoes are worth preserving in any form you can manage.

Come See Us Before the Season Turns

Late August is precious tomato territory. We're still right in the heart of it, but summer doesn't last forever, and neither does the tomato window. Once the nights start cooling off and we push into September, the supply tightens and the season starts winding down. This is genuinely the time to come in, load up, and enjoy them while they're at their very best.

Open Air Market Produce Stand has been a part of this community since 1984 — the oldest and longest-running produce market in Laurel County — and late summer tomato season is one of the reasons people keep coming back year after year. We're right here at 1594 Barbourville Rd in London, open every single day of the week. Swing by, grab a few pounds of the best tomatoes you'll find anywhere near you this summer, and go home and make that sandwich. You'll be thinking about it all winter long.