Heirloom tomatoes come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. Some are gorgeous, some are down-right ugly but, for the most part, they all taste pretty darn good.
The term “heirloom” is used to describe varieties of tomato that have been cultivated for over 50 years.
Heirloom tomatoes are also open-pollinated, which means that they’re pollinated by wind or bees. Open-pollinated plants are capable of producing seeds that are genetically identical to the parent plant. Open-pollination is what allows heirloom tomato seeds to be passed down generation to generation. Hybrid plants, on the other hand, do not reliably produce seeds that have the features of the parent plant, and thus their seeds can’t be saved.
My favorite heirloom variety is the Brandywine. It’s an incredibly rich and buttery beefsteak tomato.
Brandywines are so delicious that you don’t need to dress them up much. I like to rub raw garlic on a piece of toast and then top it with fresh basil and slices of Brandywine tomato. I drizzle the whole thing with olive oil and sprinkle on some sea salt for a delicious snack.
Do you have a favorite heirloom tomato or heirloom tomato recipe? Share it as a comment!
Like this post? You might also enjoy In Season Now: Cherry and Grape Tomatoes.
Image courtesy of wendyness via a Creative Commons license.
Rachel Shulman
I'm an ecologist turned journalist turned farmer-in-training. I'm currently working on an organic farm and creamery in Illinois. Follow me on twitter (http://twitter.com/rachelshulman), friend me on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=3105709), or follow me on StumbleUpon (http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/RachelShulman/).
9 Responses to What’s your favorite heirloom tomato?
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[...] me, invariably a packet or two of weird seeds get ordered along with the usual sure-things like heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, and salad greens. Like all gambles, sometimes the risks pay off, and sometimes they [...]
[...] and October makes this an optimal time to grow, well, just about everything. We’ll be selling heirloom tomatoes, pattypan squash, frisée, salad mix, and cucumbers through [...]
[...] varieties of produce that have been cultivated for over 50 years. The most well-known heirlooms are tomatoes such as Cherokee Purple and [...]
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The Crimson Carmello from Renees Garden. Not a single one of the tomatoes made it into a recipe because my family ate them all before they could make it there. Each bite from one was cool and perfect, and the fruits were flawless in appearance.
Cherokee Purple. Rich, intense flavor, prolific producer and not that hard to grow.
I love Cherokee Purple! So delicious.
I tried a new variety this year called Black Krim, a Russian variety with HUGE fruit and early maturing too…amazing flavor.
My all time favorite however, would have to be Persimmon…a gigantic deep orange fruit with superb tomato flavor.
Ahhhhh, I have not tried either of those yet! I'll be at the Madison Farmers Market in Wisconsin this weekend though, so I'll definitely seek them out.