The taste of heirlooms

Guest blogger Lance Jungmeyer chiming in ...

In its own survey of seed sales and buyer preference, TomatoFest Garden Seeds has developed a top-10 list of heirloom tomatoes.

Here's the list:

1. Paul Robeson (purple/black)
2. Cherokee Purple (purple/black)
3. Brandywine (pink)
4. Amana Orange (orange)
5. Marvel Stripe (red/yellow striped)
6. Julia Child (pink)
7. Black Zebra (green/purple striped)
8. Black Cherry (purple/black)
9. Kellogg's Breakfast (orange)
10. Aussie (red)

Three of the top-10 are from the so-called "black" tomato group. In actuality, according to a news release from TomatoFest Garden Seeds, these tomatoes have their origin in the southern Ukraine.

From the release:

"Black tomatoes cover a range of dark colors, including deep purple, dusky deep brown, smoky mahogany with dark green shoulders, and bluish-brown. The depth of colors seems to be encouraged by a higher acid and mineral content in the soil," said Gary Ibsen, founder of Carmel Tomato Fest and owner of TomatoFest Garden Seeds.

"Black" tomatoes are native to Southern Ukraine during the early 19th century. They originally existed in only a small region of the Crimean Peninsula. Soon they were showing up as new varieties in many shapes and sizes and began to appear throughout the territories of the former Soviet Union. Then they began turning up in the former Yugoslavia, Germany and the United States.

The Paul Robeson "black" heirloom tomato, ranking high on the "Top 10" list, won "Best Tasting Tomato" for several years at the Carmel TomatoFest in California. Its deep, rich colors stand it apart from other traditional tomatoes, boasting a dusky, dark-red skin with dark-green shoulders and red flesh in its center. This beefsteak tomato is filled with luscious, earthy, exotic flavors, and has a good acid-to-sweet balance.

As these unique tomato varieties make it onto restaurant menus, expect more commercial growers to adopt them. Be warned, however, that the yields on heirlooms are notoriously low and if you're looking for a perfect shape with no blemishes, heirlooms are not for you.