Heirloom Tomatoes are truly “heirlooms”. Farmers Almanac confirmed that this unique tomato plant has come from seeds that have been handed down from generation to generation. Families and farmers saved the seeds from the tomatoes that tasted best and over the years, perhaps the most flavorful, juiciest tomato of all emerged. The Heirloom is a purebred tomato, not a hybrid variety.
Yet you seldom see these tasty tomatoes in stores. Why? Because they bruise easily and customers don’t want blemishes on their tomatoes. They also have a relatively brief shelf life, so they are not as profitable. Profitability and durability are more important than taste, it seems.
But I planted an heirloom vine this spring – picked one plant from the bunch at the nursery that looked healthiest and it has thrived. The vine is twice as tall as my three other tomato plants and the tomatoes are large and numerous. They are still green and a little slower developing, but I hope to have one sliced up and between two pieces of bread, some bacon, lettuce and mayo by next week.
Heirloom tomato plants are a bit strange in appearance. The leaves look like oak tree leaves, not tomato vine leaves. Heirloom tomatoes, though, can come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors like green, pale yellow, bright orange, deep red, purple, or even chocolate brown and the shapes vary from small and smooth to large, lumpy, and lopsided. The jury is out on what mine may look like, but I’m positive they will be delicious.
If they turn out well, I might save a few seeds from the best tasting ones. They will be my “heirlooms.”