Jun
4
Heirloom Tomatoes in the Triangle
Posted by Judy Weinstock under For Buyers, For Realty Professionals, For Sellers, Regional News, Chapel Hill, gardening & landscaping, fine cuisine
By Rhea Worrell, Marketing Specialist for The Judy Weinstock Team
There are three seasons for tomatoes every year: seed starting from January to March, selling and buying seedlings in April and May — and devouring from July to October! With any luck there’ll be enough leftover tomatoes for cooking, freezing or canning for the rest of the year.
Okay, the first two seasons have ended for 2008. But the gastronomic rewards are right around the corner! So, if you are a tomato lover you are in luck!
Here’s an opportunity to learn enough about heirloom tomato varieties to make an educated choice when tomato buying season rolls around and you’re haunting the local farmers market in search of lovely lycopersicon [tomato] treats.
What are the best varieties of heirloom tomatoes in the Triangle? Let’s take a look at the heirloom tomato lexicon, local growers’ lists, and the taste test experience of locavores. How do they weed out the duds and cultivate the winners? Factors they consider for growing tomatos our area are drought tolerance, ease of cultivation, productivity, attractiveness, intended use and most of all, flavor.
When it comes to buying and eating tomatoes, there are other factors to consider, such as the rainbow effect — the wide range of colors, stripes and mottling of heirloom tomatoes. Let’s assume you are a tomato lover, you’re lucky enough to have a wide selection of heirlooms from which to select, and want to decide on tomato types and colors before looking at specific varieties.
- Juicy, thin skinned tomatoes are best for fresh eating and salads.
- Slicers are a little firmer. They’re best for sandwichs or salads.
- Paste tomatoes are less juicy and more meaty. They’re excellent for cooking or
drying and travel well. - Cherry tomatoes are great for snacking, salads and appetizers.
Tomato shapes — in addition to round — include beefsteaks (very large round to oval), stuffers (gourd-like), tapered, oval, pear, cherry and grape. Don’t assume a tomato is as sweet or tasty as its name or namesake imply. Ask for a sample before deciding.
As for flavors, generalizations are tricky. There are so many delicious tomatoes - in fact most of them! Tomatoes that are the most highly-rated for taste are usually sweet or have a blend of flavors and colors. Classic reds and pinks are usually extremely flavorful — Brandywine, German Johnson, Mortgage Lifter, Granny Cantrell.
Most white tomatoes (and they are rare) tend to have a bland taste, with the exception of white cherries which are as sweet as ripe grapes! (Coyote and Dr Carolyn)! They are perfect for a low acid diet or to impress dinner guests.
Yellow and orange tomatoes tend to have a sweet, mild flavor as well — except for the amazing Sungold.
Green tomatoes are often tart or citrusy.
The best varieties of pink and red tomatoes have balanced flavors, with some tartness, sweetness and rich smokiness.
Purple and black tomatoes are among the most delicious of all tomatoes with a rich, smoky sweetness. Eva Purple Ball, Pruden’s Purple, Cherokee Purple and Paul Robeson are considered exceptional.
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Here are some unofficial lists of Top Triangle Heirloom Tomatoes. Start here with three top choices:
1. Cherokee Purple is one of the most famous heirloom tomatoes in the US, and certainly a big hit in the Triangle. It was re-introduced by Raleigh tomato expert Craig LeHoullier in 1990 — and loves our weather. The flavor is exceptionally rich and fine: it’s winey, smoky sweet with just enough tartness - and juicy. It’s very easy to grow and produces lots of fruit and is heat-tolerant. It’s an impressionist’s fantasy - a blend of red, green, purple and black. Love at first taste! [Craig has also developed and introduced Cherokee Green, Cherokee Chocolate, Little Lucky and Lucky Cross].
2. Green Zebra is another popular local tomato, and for good reason. It’s another plant that’s easy to cultivate, and bears loads of mid-sized fruit. It’s got bright green stripes and is stunningly beautiful for slicing or salads. The inner gel is a luminous lime green. It’s juicy, tart and delicious — and glows in the dark! Beautifully striped, moderately small oval fruits in shades of lime, emerald and gold, spicy, tangy, citrusy, juicy with a bright lime green gel. Vigorous and easy to grow, productive, delicious & very attractive. Highly recommended. Good starter tomato. Excellent in salads. Full sun pref. *Developed in 1985 by crossing 4 heirloom tomatoes
3. SunGold. One of the tastiest cherry tomatoes ever, very prolific, and very easy to grow. It’s a glowing orange and is an irrestible snack. May reseed from year to year. A big favorite in the Triangle.
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One Hillsborough grower’s 2008 selections:
Aunt Ruby’s Cherry, Aunt Ruby’s German Green, Black Cherry, Cherokee Purple, Dr Carolyn, Granny Cantrell or German Red, Green Zebra, Paul Robeson, Pink Brimmer, Roma Rio Grande, Striped Roman, Uncle Mark Bagby, Vinson Watts
Craig LeHoullier’s 2008 Selections
Red Abraham Lincoln, Aker’s West Virginia, Amish Paste, Andrew Raharts Jumbo Red, Box Car Willie, Cuostralee, Druzba, Dwarf Stone, Kimberly, Marmande, Martino’s Roma, Mexico Midget, Mule Team, Nepal, Neves’ Azorean Red, Opalka, Ozark Cherry, Raspberry Red, Red Brandywine, Red Robin, Shannon’s, Sophie’s Choice, Sweet Million, Veeroma
Pink Anna Russian, Arkansas Traveler, Brandywine, Earl’s Faux, Eva Purple Ball,German Johnson, Granny Cantrell, Hege German Pink, Mortgage Lifter, New Big Dwarf, Rose Quartz, Winsall
Purple/Brown/Black Black Cherry, Black Krim, Blauck from Tula, Cherokee Chocolate, Cherokee Purple, JD Special C-Tex, Paul Robeson, Purple Russian
Green Aunt Ruby’s German Green, Cherokee Green, Green Giant, Green Grape, Green Zebra, Lime Green Salad, Spears Tennessee Green
Yellow/Orange/White Anna Banana Russian, Aunt Gertie’s Gold, Coyote, Dr. Wyche’s Yellow, Elbe, Golden Dwarf Champion, Hugh’s, Jaune Flamme, Kellog’s Breakfast, Lemon Boy, Lillian’s Yellow, Malschor Isura, Orange Heirloom, Sungold, Taxi, Yellow Brandywine, Yellow Pear
Striped, Streaked, Marbled Hillbilly, Little Lucky, Lucky Cross, Rainbow Bicolor, Little Lucky and Lucky Cross, Rainbow Bi-color, Regina’s Yellow, Tiger Tom
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Helpful Links
Triangle Tomato Expert Craig LeHoullier Bio Page
http://www.victoryseeds.com/catalog/vegetable/tomato/nctomatoman.html
Craig’s Homepage
http://www.nctomatoman.topcities.com/From_The_Vine.htm
Summer Means Tomatoes [Raleigh News and Observer]
http://www.newsobserver.com/lifestyles/home_garden/tastefulgarden/story/580751.html
The Best Varieties for Tomato Lovers (nationwide)
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s-5-16-1448,00.html
Tomato Information
http://www.tomatofest.com/tomato-growing-information.html
Just learning to garden organically? Want to grow heirloom tomatoes next year? Go to the
helpful folks at Fifth Season Gardening in Carrboro. Fifth Season is a local (NC) company
that specializes in organic gardening.
http://www.fifthseasongardening.com/ 



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