It was my intention to publish a post today about pronghorn fawn triplets in Montana’s Centennial Valley but yesterday’s pleasant garden surprise changed those plans. The pronghorn post will have to wait.
Readers already know that I’m addicted to BLTs and I’m of the opinion that supermarket tomatoes are garbage. So for the last several years I’ve been referring to the first day I have enough garden tomatoes for a BLT as Freedom from Garbage Tomatoes day, or FGT day. FGT could also stand for First Garden Tomatoes day – both work for me but I prefer the former. It has a little more… bite.
I harvested the smallest of these three tomatoes two days ago but it wasn’t large enough for a BLT so I had to wait. Then, yesterday afternoon, I found the two larger tomatoes hiding near the base of one of my Early Girl tomato plants.
As a result, my plans for today’s post and my plans for dinner last night, changed. Pronghorn became tomatoes and Navajo tacos became a BLT.
I’m no foodie so I don’t take good food photos but this was my dinner last night – a BLT with garden tomatoes and good sourdough bread, toasted. You can’t see the tomatoes very well but they’re under the bacon – sliced thick, juicy and delicious. Homemade coleslaw is the side.
For me, FGT Day is a big deal. Barring a devastating hailstorm, I shouldn’t have to buy those garbage tomatoes at the supermarket again for over four months. One year I even served garden tomatoes for Thanksgiving dinner. By then, even though I’d had them covered in the garden, they’d gone through some cold nights so they weren’t quite as good as usual. But they were still better than those mealy, reddish, tasteless tomato-impersonators you get at the grocery store.
Some readers may think I’m a little strange to make such a big deal out of my first garden tomatoes of the season. But if you’re a fan of BLTs and you grow your own tomatoes, I’m thinking you get it.
Ron
PS – If you think my disdain for supermarket tomatoes is going overboard, you might want to read the NY Times article my good friend Susan Southam linked to in her comment below. It’s a good one, and to the point.
I liked your opinion of store bought tomatoes and your pictures of the tomatoes and your BLT made me envious. Here in the Portland area I don’t think many, if anyone, has tomatoes yet. My plants are looking great but they are a long way from producing a beautiful tomato like yours. Thanks for sharing
I’m with you on BLTs, especially on sourdtbread, but my absolute favourite is a BATO (bacon arugula tomato and onion)!
I GET IT! I haven’t had fresh tomatoes for 3 years. The grass hoppers and crickets got everything the past years – and again this year. Corn & Tomatoes are my 2 favorites from the garden -well – all the rest is better fresh too. I could taste the goodness of your fresh tomatoes without even having any. There is NOTHING like a fresh grown tomato – no matter the size. Keep up the good work! I assume you make your own bread as well. Take care!
I love garden tomatoes and had grown them for years. When I moved to Florida I tried to grow but my plant was immediately attacked by white flies. The only place I could grow was in a pot in my lanai but that still was not safe. 😒 That is great that you can enjoy your fresh tomatoes. I enjoyed the link on Iceland tomato growers.
Laurie, white flies are a pest I’ve never heard of. I’ll have to look them up.
I’m totally with you on this momentous occasion, except for the bacon.
Take Care,
Kaye
Kaye, I’ve heard that some folks don’t like bacon. Not sure I believe it though… 🙂
Those tomatoes look so good. When I was about 9 our neighbor used to give me one of his garden tomatoes and I remember eating it outside like candy. Store tomatoes are crummy. Enjoy your favorite BLTs!!
For food shots, may I suggest have your camera at table level and shoot just one-half of sandwich so we can see it up close. Just saying
Good advice about food shots, Linda. Thanks for providing it.
Yes, change of plans. Priorities.
Yup.
You and Susan sound like our neighbors — we do a lot of trading of produce, eggs, pet-sitting, etc. That BLT looks really good, as does the coleslaw. Wishing you many, many more tasty suppers this summer!
Thanks, Marty. The slaw was good too – it had several veggies in it from my garden (not the cabbage though).
You are completely correct in your description of grocery store tomatoes – complete garbage. A fresh from the garden tomato is SO delicious!! Was fortunate two years ago to dine at this tomato restaurant in Iceland: https://fridheimar.is/. Absolute tomato and fresh bread heaven!!!
Looks like a great place, Kathleen. Having good tomatoes and fresh bread is a big step toward being a good restaurant.
I totally get it. I wish I could grow tomatoes!
Hilary, if you have enough sun, the space for them and it isn’t too hot where you live, you should be able to.
In 1980, my husband and I spent a few days in Paris and ate every night in a little bistro around the corner from our hotel. And every night I had a “salade de tomates” – the most delicious thing – tomatoes to die for in a very simple dressing. That’s been my gold standard for tomatoes, only rarely met (tomatoes from a friend’s garden came very close – NEVER grocery store ones). I’m envious of your Early Girls. And thanks to Susan for the NYT link. Sounds like you’ve got a good trade in the works – Susan’s bread for some beets!
“Susan’s bread for some beets!”
She’ll want some tomatoes too, Carolyn. Still, a very good deal for me. I’m a cook but not a baker.
Okay, i’m jealous!
🙂
Happy FGT Day!
Been enjoying our modest harvest here in SoCal as well.
Thanks, Michael. So far my tomato harvest is modest too. But that should change fairly quickly. By August I’ll have a glut of them.
Great photo of beautiful tomatoes – ta-mah-toes as my late New England born grandmother would say. Beautiful fruit but not for me. I have eaten many BLT’s without the T’s. Allergic to them. Used to grow them though in my WW2 Victory Garden back in Pennsylvania as a young kid.
Everett, one of my neighbor’s kids doesn’t like tomatoes so she makes BLCs for him – bacon, lettuce and cucumber. To each his own I guess.
Oh YUM ! You’re killing me ! A hint for your “Thanksgiving ” tomatoes–when a heavy freeze is forecast and you still have tomatoes on the vine : you can cut the vine, leaving the still-green
tomatoes on it, and hang the vine upside-down in your garage or
basement, and the tomatoes will continue to ripen over about a
week and a half– but maybe you already knew that, being the tomato lover that you are!
Yup, I already knew that Kris. Haven’t done it though. Yet.
Luv it! 🙂 No comparison! Will be “awhile” here before I have even the Early Girl tomatoes but will enjoy them while they last. Tend to eat a little more “seasonal” something we’re all somewhat spoiled about now. Wonder who is going to pick the FL tomatoes? 😉 Given 47 seems to thrive on McDonalds I doubt he has a clue about such things……….;)
Judy, among all the many things he has no clue about . .
What Susan said.
Your post today makes me so envious!!! And it reminded me of this column I read in the NY Times recently: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/22/opinion/tomato-tariffs-mexico-florida.html?unlocked_article_code=1.UU8.pZZP.i9Xf0YijAc_j&smid=url-share
I make pretty darn good sourdough bread. . .up for a trade?
“up for a trade?”
Damn rights I am, Sue!
I’d even throw in a bunch of golden beets from my garden. I remember how much you like them.
Love the article you linked to. I’ve added a postscript at the bottom of my post that encourages readers to read it.
I do indeed love golden (and red) beets! We should time this so that you get bread the day I bake it. I’ll let you know when that is. . .
Better wait a couple of weeks. I’ll have very few ripe tomatoes before then. I’ll let you know when that happens.
Baking sourdough bread is a two to three day process depending on how much feeding the starter needs. And I can wait a couple of weeks, definitely.