Never Judge a Tomato By Its Skin...

1.  Introduction
2.  What Characterizes an Heirloom?
3.  Types of Heirlooms
4.  Enjoying Heirloom Tomatoes
5.  Recipe:  Heirloom Tomato Salad


Let's have a contest.

In my right hand I hold an aesthetically beautiful, everyday tomato.  Its color is a traditionally rich tomatoey red and its shape is a perfect sphere.  Its skin is thick and taunt, without a crease or blemish anywhere.  In my left hand, I hold a ripe, fragrant, blackish-purple heirloom tomato.  It was recently harvested and transported a short distance from farm to market.  It has an irregular shape, is thin-skinned, and has a couple fine cracks near its stem.

Now, which one would you want on your next sandwich, salad or just plain topped with a drizzle of olive oil and some finely chopped fresh basil?  Before you make your choice, I would like for you to take a taste from both of them.  I guarantee that you will find that there is no contest at all!

Not very long ago, heirloom tomato varieties fell victim to commercial food production and distribution.  Modern commerical hybrid tomato seed varieties were originally created for better transportability, storability over taste; for increased crop yield; and for production of fruit that were uniform in size, color, shape and ripening speed used for food processing.  At the present time, heirloom tomato production is making a culinary renaissance with avengence in order to keep up supply with the ever-increasing customer demand for these delectable culinary gems.

Noted for their marvelous, old-fashioned flavor, heirloom tomatoes grown for market are often organically grown in small quantities on a small-to-medium family farm.  Because of their lessened resistance to disease, pests, heat, cold and rigors of long-distance transport, the heirloom tomato is usually hand-harvested, instead of by machine used to harvest commercial, high-volume quantities. Then they are immediately transported the short distance from farm to market due to short storability.  Once the tomatoes reach the produce bin, their shelf life is a mere fraction compared to that eye-pleasing, waxed-for-freshness, conventional tomato.


What Characterizes an Heirloom?

Heirloom tomato seeds always derive from the "mother plant" (F0 variety),  or are self-pollinated or naturally open-pollinated (F1 hybrid variety) and produce plants with the same physical and genetic traits planting after planting, generation after generation.   Most heirloom varieties are 40-50 years old, some even older than that!   Even with biotechnology, modern commercial hybrid seed varieties do not always reproduce plants with exactly the same traits; and if a hybridized variety is only planted, the risk of a fungus or plant disease destroying an entire crop runs very high.  Therefore, heirloom varieties are always open-pollinated or self-pollinated; however, not all open-pollinated or self-pollinated varieties are considered an heirloom.


Types of Heirlooms

Commerical Heirlooms are open-pollinated vareities that have existed since before 1940.  Family Heirlooms have shorter histories than commercial heirlooms, and are considered heirloom because the seed may have been passed down for several generations through a family lineage.  Created Heirlooms have two known parents (separate "mother plants" or an heirloom and an open-pollinated hybrid) and through dehybridization over a period of years or generations, undesirable genetic characteristics are eliminated and desirable genetic characterstics are stabilized.  Mystery Heirlooms are vareities that are a product of natural cross-pollination of two heirloom varieties, but do not know which ones cross-bred.

Heirloom varieties boast special histories or physical characterstics.  Perhaps one can trace the plant's origins to a particular region of a country.  Suppose a family can recall their great-grandparents transporting the seed from the "mother country."  Maybe a variety may have a distinguishing physical attribute such as color, design, or shape and is named after a cultural characterstic or physical region.


Enjoying Heirloom Tomatoes

Heirloom tomato varieties ripen quicker, are more fragrant, and contain more lycopene (an antioxidant abundant in red tomatoes and process tomato products that may help prevent prostate cancer and heart disease) than commercial hybrid seed tomatoes.  If tomatoes seem overripe, provided that they are not moldy or rotting, the are perfect for making sauce, soup or chili, as cooking down the fresh tomatoes enhances the release of lycopene.

As a rule of thumb, the color of the tomato determines its acidity.  White, yellow and orange-colored varieties don't contain any lycopene and are the least acidic.  They are higher in sugar and boast the mildest and sweetest flavor out of any of the heirloom tomato varieties.  The redder the tomato, the greater its lycopene content and acidity.  The greener the tomato, the more tart it becomes and doesn't contain lycopene.  The unusual purple, dark brown and black varieties have the greatest acidity out of all of the tomatoes, however, they also boast the boldest, richest, most complex flavor out of all of the heirloom varieties.

Look for plump, heavy fruit with thin, smooth skins and free of bruises or blemishes.  To promote further ripening, place it with an apple in a closed paper bag for a day or so, as the ethylene gas produced from the ripening apple will further ripen the tomato naturally.  Store heirloom tomatoes out of direct sunlight at room temperature, since heat or cold will cause damage and destroy their flavor.  (If you absolutely have to refrigerate a tomato, bring it back to room temperature before serving.)  It is not uncommon for heirloom tomatoes to have cracks at the stem end and if the cracks do not run deep, they should not affect the quality of the tomato or its flavor.  It is best just to cut out the portion of the tomato and enjoy; and if there is mold around the crack, check the tomato by cutting it in half  and inspect it.  If overripe, or has a foul smell, compost or discard the tomato since it has become inedible.

When people bite into a juicy heirloom tomato, most don't usually think about the shrinkage of the incredible pool of genetic variability and diversity and the many varieties that would become extinct if they had purchased that everyday tomato.  When people continue to place demand for and enjoy heirloom varieties of vegetables, fruits, grains and beans, it will continue to encourage biodiversity, as well as develop a continued awareness of a sense of history and cultural heritage behind the food that we eat.  When people experience the taste of an heirloom tomato, most never go back to eating those "perfect" tomatoes from the grocery store.


Recipe:  Heirloom Tomato Salad
makes 1 large batch, enough for 4 side-dish servings

When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I made a batch of this salad everyday for lunch and enjoyed it in the warm Summer sun.  Make sure all of the ingredients are at room temperature.  If heirloom cucumber are not available, green slicing cucumber will do, however, when they come into season, fresh heirloom tomatoes and herbs are a must!  Simply mix all of the ingrediens together and enjoy!

2 large or 4 small heirloom tomatoes - your choice, coarsely chopped
2 medium heirloom lemon cucumbers (preferred), or 1 large slicing cucumber, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon (more or less depending on your own personal taste), fresh basil or dill, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil (the best that you can find and afford)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar (again, don't skimp on quality)
sea salt or herb seasoning to taste
a handful of your favorite olives (quality! quality! quality!), whole, optional

I would appreciate a vote on this guide, if you found this informative and helpful or not, as your feedback helps me develop further reviews and guides. 

Thank you for stopping by and reading my guide. Check out more heirloom varieties of beans and grains in the Conscious Cookery eBay store!