Farmstead BLT w/ Stonefruit Salad
August 27, 2026 • 0 comments
Directions
Good bacon, ripe tomatoes, and sourdough bread make a BLT worth sitting down for. Add a salad of peaches, plums, and sweet cherries dressed with honey and apple cider vinegar, and you’ve got a summer meal with plenty of local flavor.
Farmstead Meal #003
Serves: 4
Total time: About 30–40 minutes
Prepare the fruit and sandwich ingredients while the bacon cooks.
Ingredients
For the BLTs
- 1 package Jake’s Country Meats Bacon, thawed, your favorite variety
- 8 slices Maple Row Sugarhouse Sourdough
- 2 ripe tomatoes from Piedt Acres
- Lettuce, washed and dried
- Mayonnaise, to taste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Stone Fruit Salad
- 8 ounces sweet cherries from Piedt Acres
- 2 peaches from Mick Klug Farm
- 2 plums from Mick Klug Farm
- 1 tablespoon Rubee’s Honey
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
1. Start the Bacon in a Cold Oven
Arrange the thawed bacon in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, leaving the slices mostly flat and avoiding overlap. Use a second pan if needed.
Place the pan in a cold oven, then set it to 375°F. Rotate the pan after 10 minutes and continue cooking until the bacon reaches your preferred crispness. Begin checking around 15 minutes; thicker slices and slower-heating ovens will take longer.
Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. It will firm up a little as it cools.
2. Make the Stone Fruit Salad
While the bacon cooks, pit and halve the cherries. Remove the pits from the peaches and plums, then cut the fruit into bite-sized slices. Leave the skins on.
In a serving bowl, stir together the honey, apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Add the fruit and toss gently to coat without crushing it. Set aside while you finish the sandwiches, allowing the fruit juices to mingle with the dressing.
3. Prepare the Sandwich Ingredients
Slice the tomatoes and season lightly with salt and pepper. Wash and thoroughly dry the lettuce so it keeps the sandwich crisp.
Slice the sourdough into eight pieces. Once the bacon is nearly ready, toast the bread until lightly golden. Aim for a crisp surface with a little give in the middle so the sandwich is easy to bite.
4. Build the BLTs
Spread mayonnaise on the toast. Divide the lettuce, tomatoes, and bacon among four sandwiches, then top with the remaining bread slices.
Cut in half and serve right away with the stone fruit salad. Give the fruit one more gentle toss and spoon a little of its dressing into each serving.
Farmstead Tip
Cooking bacon is an art. Starting thawed bacon in a cold oven lets it warm gradually as the fat renders. Rotate the pan after 10 minutes, then watch the bacon rather than relying on a fixed cooking time. Remove individual slices as they’re ready if some cook faster than others.
Make It Work with What You Have
Choose the bacon you enjoy most, from traditional hickory smoked to applewood or raspberry chipotle. Any ripe slicing tomato works well, and the fruit salad is flexible: use more peaches when plums are scarce, or swap nectarines for peaches. Taste the fruit first and adjust the honey or vinegar to suit its sweetness.
Made Possible by Local Producers
- Maple Row Sugarhouse: Sourdough bread
- Piedt Acres: Tomatoes and sweet cherries
- Mick Klug Farm: Peaches and plums
- Rubee’s: Honey
These are the producers featured in our original Farmstead Meal. Availability changes with the season, so use what’s fresh near you.
About The Farmstead
The Farmstead by Jake’s Country Meats brings together meat from our family farm and food from neighboring farms, fisheries, and local makers. It’s a place to know where your food comes from, meet the people behind it, and find simple ways to enjoy what’s in season. Through good food and shared recipes, we’re building a stronger local food system, one meal at a time.
Visit us at 57470 M-51 S, Dowagiac, MI, just south of town.
