The Joy of Heirloom Tomatoes
By Joe Baltrukonis, Ramsey County Master Gardener
“The federal government has sponsored research that has produced a tomato that is perfect in every respect, except that you can’t eat it. We should make every effort to make sure that this disease, often referred to as ‘progress’, doesn’t spread.” –Andrew Rooney
Last night I dreamed that there was a blind taste test between the common tomato found in grocery stores and cardboard--and the cardboard won!!! There is an entire world of difference between the not-so-fresh, green-picked, ethylene-ripened, thick-skinned, flavor-less store-bought tomato and the mouth-watering, sun-kissed, vine-ripened tomato that you pick fresh from your garden. Amongst gardeners, 95% of us grow tomatoes. The best flavored tomatoes are the heirloom varieties.
Hybrid tomatoes are the result of careful cross-breeding between two different strains of tomato (If you save and plant the seeds, the results will be a mixture of different plants with all sorts of characteristics from the grandparents). Many hybrids have been bred for commercial reasons – increased productivity, disease resistance, vigor, uniform ripening, uniform shape and color, and thicker skin to survive at the bottom of the harvest bin and to survive long distance shipping. Flavor is only a secondary consideration.
Heirloom tomatoes are open-pollinated (naturally pollinated) treasures that have been handed down in families or are varieties that have been available commercially for 50, 100, or more years. These varieties will be true-to-type if you save and plant the seeds. Heirlooms may be more disease-prone, especially in wet seasons where blight may cause serious problems. They are often oddly shaped, ripen over a longer period and are thinner skinned, but they are definitely much tastier than most hybrids.
Dr. Carolyn Male has grown and evaluated over a thousand heirloom tomato varieties. In her beautifully illustrated book, 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden, she describes her favorite heirlooms, listing both their good and not so good qualities. Check your local library.
Local garden centers do carry some heirloom tomato varieties. A loco expert, Jeff Adelman (The Herb Man) can be found at the Saint Paul Farmer’s Market. He is absolutely crazy about heirloom tomatoes, has a large selection for purchase, and will make you into an heirloom tomato expert in a short time. Look for a wiry, walrus-mustached fellow with a hat adorned with long pheasant feathers.
Some heirloom tomatoes to try include:
- Aunt Ruby’s German Green—the best of the green tomatoes, citrusy, rich, tangy, great to add to salads
- Black Krim, Black from Tula—2 varieties that are dark, mahogany colored with intense, rich, complex, salty flavors
- Brandywine (Sudduth Strain)—red, unique winey taste, not very productive, but a definite taste treat of sweet and tart
- Cherokee Purple—rich, earthy taste
- Jaune Flamme—very prolific, 1 ½ inch diameter round, beautiful orange, mouth-watering taste (my favorite)
Sources of seed include:
Explore! There are thousands of other heirloom tomato varieties to add to your culinary palette-many flavors, all shapes, sizes, and colors of red, pink, purple, maroon, yellow, white, green, and bi-colored. Amaze your friends! Let me know what you discover this summer.
Happy Gardening, Joe Baltrukonis
“Like an overheated teenager, I’m fairly bursting with anticipation, eager for that first juicy, mouth-filling, mind-boggling, toe-curling heirloom tomatoes experience.” - Jacqueline Church (‘Heirloom Tomatoes – Apples of Love...Sensual Pleasures of Heirloom Tomatoes’ from the Internet)
