Plants & Bulbs

» Angela England - What is your Favorite Heirloom Tomato...

What is your favorite heirloom tomato and why do you love it? I'm interested to hear about your experiences.

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» Georgene A. Bramlage - What is your Favorite Heirloom Tomato...

In response to What is your Favorite Heirloom Tomato... posted by AngEngland:
Well, Angela...

I can't say heirloom tomatoes are "loved" in my household

One Saturday, two summers back I shopped at our local Farmers' Market. One of the "younger farmers" had a display of heirloom tomatoes where one oculd sample them. They tasted so great, and he was so enthusiastic and so much fun to talk with that I bought a great many varieties to serve at a picnic later that day.

When I began to set them out as part of a do-it-yourself salad, my husband (an old-time farmer if thee ever was one) said in horror "Surely, you are not going to serve those?!!!" Anyone knowing what heirloom tomatoes look like can mentally compare them with "Big Boys" or some such hybrid...which is what my husband was comparing them with.

"Oh," I said rather innocently. "Yes...that's what they are supposed to look like. Taste a piece." Needless to say, all the tomatoes were eaten by my guests with gusto, and along with the foccacio and herbed-olive oil became the tolking points of the evening.

Can't say I am exactly the "hostess with the mostess;" don't remember what the rest of the meal even consisted of! But that was the last discussion husband and I ever had about the "looks" of heirloom tomatoes!

Because there are just the two of us here at home now, we do not a vegetable garden anymore. However, it is so much fun to try a little of this or a little of that from vendors at Farmers' Markets and roadside stands. We are lucky here in western MA to have vegetable growers who, for the most part, like to experiment and try for various "niche markets."

Cheers and happy eating!

Georgene

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» Angela England - What is your Favorite Heirloom Tomato...

In response to What is your Favorite Heirloom Tomato... posted by Cercis:

I had a friend rave about a green tomato variety that her grandfather always grew and I never could gather up the courage as a child to try it. Now I wish I would have!

Oh well - I'll just have to add it to the list of thigns to try.

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» cvanderlinden - What is your Favorite Heirloom Tomato...

In response to What is your Favorite Heirloom Tomato... posted by AngEngland:
I grow 'Brandywine' every year (the pink-fleshed variety) and I love 'Yellow Pear.' This year, I'm trying 'Cherokee Purple' for the first time, and I"m really looking forward to it. Several other gardeners have told me that it tastes even better than 'Brandywine.' I'll believe it when I taste it

-- posted by cvanderlinden

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» Angela England - What is your Favorite Heirloom Tomato...

In response to What is your Favorite Heirloom Tomato... posted by cvanderlinden:

I've heard really good things about the Brandywine tomatoes (there are a couple different ones that go by that name - A natural result of regional variation I'm sure) and plan to try them next year.

This year we were so busy with having just moved in that our garden spots were, of necessity, a bit more condensed. Next year I'll go all out! *laughing*

I want to try a really cool striped heirloom tomato called Tigger. :-)

Angela

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» gnatelee - What is your Favorite Heirloom Tomato...

In response to What is your Favorite Heirloom Tomato... posted by AngEngland:

I would have to answer this by stating the Brandywine, which I beleive to be an heirloom from Thomas Jefferson's time, to be my all time favorite tomatoe.

Would anyone have any seeds that they would be willing to sell or send me? I have not had much luck finding this tomatoe and it was my father's most favorite.

Thank you.
gnatelee

-- posted by gnatelee

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» Angela England - What is your Favorite Heirloom Tomato...

In response to What is your Favorite Heirloom Tomato... posted by gnatelee:

Just bumping this up to the top for ya' since this is about the time people could be saving their seeds for heirloom tomatoes next year.

I understand Bakercreek Heirloom Seeds has these available if you haven't found the Brandywine tomatoes anywhere else yet.

Blessings, Angela

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» Cottage_Garden - Brandywine at Monticello

In response to What is your Favorite Heirloom Tomato... posted by AngEngland:

Jefferson's Monticello today actually sells their strain of Brandywine tomato seeds alone or as part of their heirloom Kitchen Garden Sampler... Just a thought, if you want the "real" thing he wrote about.

-- posted by Cottage_Garden

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