Heirloomtomatoes began showing up in Farmer market several years ago , and somewhat later they started make their appearance in grocery store . Today , heirloom tomato are very popular . On a recent visit to a local farmers market , I explored this phenomenon with a vender who was selling heirloom tomatoes . First I asked , “ Why do people pay off double the price for your heirloom tomatoes ? ” His answer was short and to the point : “ They just taste betterthan modern tomatoes . ” of course I just had to ask , “ What in the world IS an heirloom tomato ? ” Again , his result was short and to the head : “ It ’s an sure-enough - fashioned Lycopersicon esculentum . ”
“ Well , ” I said , “ why do they cost more ? ” The vendor responded , “ They are hard to grow and are not as fat as the new hybrids . ” Thinking that I had finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together , I decide that an heirloom tomato is an old - fashioned tomato that savor better than mod tomato , and that costs more because it ’s gruelling to grow . But I start that conversant feeling that I might still be missing a twain pieces of the mystifier .
Now I must admit I have often been disappointed by the lack of feel in those bright scarlet , uniformly - sized , vine - ripen tomatoes in the supermarket . For some reason they always look well than they taste . But why do heirloom taste better ? And what precisely is an heirloom love apple ? There had to be more to it . Thus , began my journeying to solvethe mysteryof the heirloom tomato .
Prior to World War II , love apple were grown both at home and by farmers who provided fresh tomatoes to the local markets . As fresh varieties were developed , seed company often send packing older and less popular varieties from their catalog . As a solvent , household gardeners began to relieve seeds of their favored varieties to plant the following year .
After World War II , the country receive a major expansion in the state ’s transportation infrastructure , highway and railroad system of rules . The ability to ship bring on over outstanding distances increased the desire for tomatoes from warmer regions with longer growing seasons . This chair to the consumer ’s desire for year - circular “ vine - ripened ” tomatoes . regrettably , the fragile tasty tomato of past was not a safe shipper , so major crossing political program were set out to breed a tomato of uniform sizing and shape with a thicker pelt to hold out shipping . Hybridization goals were expatiate over the yr to develop brighter red varieties that ripen at the same time , were racy enough to withstand mechanically skillful harvesting , and were resistant to disease and pests . Appearance , lastingness , volume and shelf animation were the major attributes the plant stock breeder and growers were seeking — not flavour . One tomato plant husbandman was quoted as saying , “ I do n’t get pay off a cent for flavor . ” I learned this from a fun - to - scan book by Barry Estabrook , Tomatoland : How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit . Another reason often cited for the loss in the look of tomatoes is the customer demand for “ fresh ” tomatoes year around ( Estabrook ) . So that ’s where all the flavour go !
examine to find a concise , agreed - upon definition of an heirloom tomato plant is akin to “ sail through Jell - O to a tree diagram . ” In general , most would jibe that an heirloom tomato is ( 1 ) “ open - pollinated , ” meaning if you collect the seeded player and plant the semen , the plant will be “ on-key ” to type — the offspring will be selfsame to the parents , and ( 2 ) at least 50 years old or educate before 1940 . Here ’s a definition I care , and it ’s worth quoting :
First of all , heirloom tomatoes are nonhybrid , open - pollinated plant . That means seed collected from a picky fruit will produce similar tomato harvest after crop .
Second , heirloom tomatoes are typically defined by years . depend on whom you postulate , an heirloom tomato must be at least 25 years old . Some say 50 years or more . Others define them as seeds date from before 1945 . After World War II , hybrid development became more dominant .
I ’m of the opinion that age does n’t count when it comes to heirloom tomatoes , as long as the variety is open pollinated .
Third , kinfolk communicate heirloom varieties down through the generations just like they do antique furniture . Any vegetable can become an heirloom when family take in their seeds and pass them on . The Nebraska Wedding tomato is a quality instance . Tomatoes are also visit “ love orchard apple tree , ” and seeds were given to young twosome as a craw to help depart their farm .
msucares.com/news//sg14/sg20140217.html .
One thing that everyone seems to agree upon is the heirloom tomato ’s superior spirit : honeyed , tart , juicy or just that right former fashioned tomato taste . The various aesthetic note value admit a encompassing reach of coloring ( red , blackened , brown , green , purple , orange , yellowish and mahogany brown ) , unusual human body and size ( pear - shaped , round or lobate fruit , and a size range up to a two - Ezra Pound animal ) . The names are unique giving one a sense of each Lycopersicon esculentum ’s alone heritage . Because they are open - pollinate , they are great for save seed .
With the increase interest in old varieties of heirloom tomato plant , seminal fluid rescue formation with seed banks became democratic and come companies start growing “ heirloom ” seed for specialty catalog . No one recognise the total routine of heirloom diverseness available today . Amy Goldman state in her book : The Heirloom Tomato from Garden to Tablethat she generally has around 500 varieties under polish in a give growing season . Baker Creek Heirloom Seed catalog lists 200 varieties of uncommon heirloom tomato seeds . There are a set of diversity to select from !
Of the many pop heirloom variety , the “ Mortgage Lifter ” is one of the better known . A West Virginia auto mechanic – “ Radiator Charlie ” — grew and sold this diverseness for $ 1.00 each in the1940 ’s . It is rumour that he sold enough plants to make up off his house mortgage , hence the name !
Red Brandywineis a tomato that was so beautiful and savour so wonderful that the taster was reminded of the beautiful Brandywine Valley in Pennsylvania .
The “ Giant PolishBeefsteak ” — the seed were rumored to have been smuggled into this land on the back of a postage stamp stamp .
The “ Cherokee Purple ” tomato — pronounce to have been discovered in the 1880s on a Cherokee Indian qualification .
I trust that you have a fortune to taste a small love apple history this growing season . On your next trip to the supermarket or to your local husbandman ’s mart , you may pause to bribe heirloom tomatoes because of the monetary value . They will cost more than “ regular tomato . ” But think about the superior taste you may be missing out on as well as that bit of account that each heirloom will bring to your collection plate . Better yet , think about add an heirloom tomato plant plant to your garden this year .
Thanks for stopping by The Garden Shed . We trust to see again you next month .
Sources :
Tomatoland , “ How Industrial Agriculture ruin Our Most Alluring Fruit ( Estabrook , 2012 )
The Heirloom Tomato : From Garden to Table : Recipes , Portraits , and History of the World ’s Most Beautiful Fruit(Goldman , Bloomsbury Publishing , 2008 )
“ Try heirloom love apple for a unequalled horticulture experience , ” Miss.St.Ext.http://msucares.com/news/print/sgnews/sg14/sg20140217.html(2014 )
“ Heirloom Tomatoes , University of California Coop . Ext , http://ucanr.edu / sites / sacmg / What_are_Heirloom_Tomatoes/
Additional info on tomatoes may be found in our May , 2015 article , Garden Shed : “ Poison Apple ” ?
