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Tomato Taste Test
The blogger behind Skippy’s Vegetable Garden is easing the pain caused by the late emergence of tomatoes in her home garden by buying at her local farmers’ market, unwittingly inserting herself into the ongoing heirlooms versus hybrids debate among tomato-lovers. The dispute can be a bit esoteric at times, so it’s interesting to see a taste test that includes (and raves about) both heirlooms and hybrids. This blogger had a hard time picking a favorite, but she settles on the Black Prince heirloom as her top pick, with the Orange Blossom hybrid as a close second.
I’ve always reached for the heirloom tomatoes at farm stands, but this summer, since I was starting my first backyard garden here in Brooklyn, I opted for some easy-to-grow Burpee hybrids. I’ve got to say that the plants are prolific and the tomatoes are delicious. My Napa Hybrid Grape Tomato plants are about five feet tall and are producing the sweetest tomatoes I’ve ever tasted, and my Tomato Fresh Salsa plants totally fit their “dripless” description. They aren’t in the same league as heirlooms, but since they hardly have any juice or pulp in them, they’re as easy to chop as bell peppers—so they work really well in a lazy-man’s salsa or bruschetta.
Can anyone recommend a reliable heirloom (or another hybrid) tomato for next summer’s garden?
Posted by | Monday, August 13, 2007 at 9:25am | 5 comments
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I love the tomato known as the crazy zebra. I also enjoy the oxheart, mango, pineapple, brandywine and a few others. My favorite this summer is sold at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market in California. It was apparently brought back or developed by the seller. he calls it the Caltrans, as it is similar to the bright orange vests worn by California highway/road workers.
No reason hybrids can't be good, as long as they've been bred for flavor, not for uniform size/shape/color, the ability to pick by machine, shipping ability and shelf life as the commercial varieties are. When I go to the farmer's market, I buy heirlooms for their variety of colors and flavors, but also buy hybrids for basic sandwich making.
On a side note about how ridiculous the commercial tomato business is, one commercial company that was marketing heirlooms under the UglyRipe brand ran into problems in Florida, because it couldn't pass the standards for size and shape (roundness) set by the Florida Tomato Committee in order for them to be shipped out of state. Taste plays no part in the committees standards. The UglyRipes don't taste as good as a locally grown tomato (heirloom OR hybrid), but they are better than the usual grocery store fare. You can still get them grown in Mexico or New Jersey.
Well I didn't grow any hybrids, but if you want a tomatoe that tops my list of flavors, Burpee has a plant call Porterhouse Tomatoes, and they grow to about 3-4 pounds with very tiny seeds and when you leave them on the vine until very very dark red, you will be amazed how sweet they are. My mouth is watering just writing about them.
I grow both heirlooms and hybrids in boxes. I have had very good luck with Purple Cherokees here in soCal. In Brooklyn you could go with Brandywines. It's too hot for them here. As far as hybrids I love sungolds, a yellow to orange cherry tomato that may be the sweetest tomato I have ever tasted. Nothing like popping a freshly picked sungold into your mough when it is still hot from the sun.
I'm trying my hand at tomatoes for the first time this year and along with roma and grape tomatoes I planted a "german striped" (yellow and red striped heirloom). It took off with nothing more than good soil and water. we've been averaging 90 during the day and about 50 at night with low humidity. Can't compare NorCal to Brooklyn but it's been easy to grow here. as heirlooms go it's one of my favorites.