Heirloom Tomato Guide Bookmark and Share

August 25, 2009

Aunt Ruby's German Green - Large green beefsteak tomatoes that ripen to pale green with a tint of yellow and pink blush underneath that extends inside the flesh. The flavor is sweet, yet spicy and quite delicious and the tomato has the smoothest shape of any large heirloom tomato.

 

Djena Lee’s Golden Girl - is a large golden orange fruit with a semi-thick skin. The tomato’s intense orange color is very striking. It has an excellent balance of acid to sugar giving it a sweet yet tangy flavor. Flavor was so highly prized that these tomatoes won first place at the Chicago Fair 10 years in a row.  It is on Slow Food’s Ark of taste as a tomato that is in need of preservation.

 

German Pink Tomato  - This is a favorite heirloom variety. The deep pink beefsteaks are sweet and flavorful with meaty flesh that contains few seeds.German Pink tomatoes weigh about 1 pound and are produced in abundance, making it a good choice for canning. 

Orange Oxheart Tomato - The Orange Oxheart tomato is a family heirloom from the Virginias region. This fruit has a deep orange skin, which hides a dense, orange flesh. The Oxheart is appropriately heart-shaped and can grow to a large size, often weighing in at one pound or more. The meat of the tomato is dense with a rich aroma. This heirloom tomato has superior flavor and its meatiness makes it excellent for salsas and canning.

 

Big Zebra - A stunning tomato that looks much like a giant version of the popular "Green Zebra," this 8-10 oz. beauty has vibrant green and deep gold striped skin, with delicious red-streaked, green flesh. This tomato is superb tomato for growing at home and for farmer's markets and a must for all who love the beautiful and unique.

 

Black Prince - Black tomatoes are an heirloom variety from Russia. They have a delicious blend of sugar and acid and a distinctive, complex flavor that is to be savored. Some say this variety is one of the best-tasting black tomatoes and prefer it also for its medium size.

 

Copia - These very beautiful tomatoes are a stunning combination of fine-lined golden yellow and red stripes. While visually exciting, the real treat comes when you cut them open. Their gold flesh is streaked with red and the fruit is very juicy, flavorful and sweet. A stabilized cross between Green Zebra and Marvel Stripe, these tomatoes weigh about one pound each, They were named in honor of Copia, the American Center for Food, Wine and the Arts, in Napa California

 

Green Zebra - Developed in 1985 by tomato breeder Tom Wagner, this is an unusual and exquisite green tomato.  The 2-inch round fruit ripens to a yellow-gold with dark-green zebra-like stripes. The flesh is lime-emerald in color that has an invigorating lemon-lime flavor. This tomato's acidity is great for brightening up salads and other tomato dishes.

 

Dr. Wyche’s yellow tomato - This tomato is  a beefsteak heirloom that produces slightly flattened smooth, blemish-free, golden-yellow fruit with a meaty interior and few seeds. It's rich flavor and larger size sets this variety apart from other yellow heirlooms.

 

 

The Chalk’s Early Jewel - About 3-4 inches in size, this heirloom produces early fruit in about 60 plus days. Created by James Chalk of Norristown, Pennsylvania,  it was introduced in1904. Its exterior is deep red in color with a meaty and tender interior. When eaten raw it is juicy, with a great acidity and is spicy without being sour

 

Cherokee Purple An heirloom from Tennessee cultivated by Native American Cherokee tribe.  Very productive plants producing loads of dusky rose to purple colored, Sizes are 12 oz.-1 lb with deep red colors to the interior flesh and dark shoulders. Cherokee purples are a very popular farmer’s market variety because of their rich, complex and sweet flavors.  

 

Black Krim - Originally from the Isle of Krim on the Black Sea in the former Soviet Union. This rare, and outstanding tomato yields 3-4" slightly flattened dark-red (mahogany-colored) slightly maroon, beefsteak tomatoes with deep green shoulders. The flavor is described as intense, slightly salty taste (which is great for those not wanting to add salt to their tomatoes).

 

 

Moskvich - This variety is very flavorful with rich tomato taste. An heirloom variety from Russia its flavor is described as mild, smooth but very juicy. 

 

 

Costoluto
- Italian heirloom tomato with large, deep-red, juicy tomatoes are deeply ribbed but fully flavored and absolutely delicious. This variety is hearty and does well in hot weather, but continues to produce even when the weather turns cool. 

 


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