Tomatoes

There are few vegetables that better mark the summer months than the sweet juiciness of a vine-ripened tomato. Although tomatoes are now available year-round, the truly wonderful qualities of tomatoes are the best when they are in season from July through September.

Tomatoes have fleshy internal segments filled with slippery seeds surrounded by a watery matrix. They can be red, yellow, orange, green, purple, or brown in color. Although tomatoes are fruits in a botanical sense, they don't have the dessert quality sweetness of other fruits. Instead they have a subtle sweetness that is complemented by a slightly bitter and acidic taste. Cooking tempers the acid and bitter qualities in tomatoes and brings out their warm, rich, sweetness.

LEMON BOY

Fresh ripe tomatoes should not be stored in the refrigerator. Unfortunately, refrigeration renders them tasteless and turns the flesh to mush. Flavor and texture begin to deteriorate when the temperature drops below 54°F (12°C). Temperatures above 80°F (26°C) cause tomatoes to spoil quickly. Store tomatoes at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, away from direct sunlight until ready to use.

Refrigeration also slows ripening of tomatoes. Refrigerate only extra-ripe tomatoes you want to keep from ripening any further. To reverse some of the damage, bring chilled tomatoes to room temperature before serving raw or simply add to cooked recipes.

To ripen tomatoes, place them in a paper bag, stem end up. Punch several holes all around the bag and fold the top over. The bag will help to keep some of the natural ethylene gas in place, which aids in the ripening process. Depending on how under-ripe they are, tomatoes may take one to five days to ripen. Check progress daily.

BEEFSTEAK

The beefsteak tomato is one of the largest tomato cultivars, with some varieties weighing in at over 2 pounds (1 kilogram) per tomato. This meaty tomato is grown in a rainbow of colors, from vibrant red to pale yellow to purple-black. Rather than maintaining a perfectly spherical shape as it develops, the beefsteak tomato takes on a decided kidney-bean shape, spreading out to the sides.

The beefsteak tomato has numerous compact seed cavities dispersed throughout it, and the core is practically nonexistent. Because of this internal structure, it holds together well when cut, and so is particularly well suited for slicing and eating raw. It is considered by many to be the ideal sandwich tomato.

BRANDYWINE PINK

Pink Brandywine is said to be an Amish heirloom dating to the 1880s some time.

Brandywine Pink produces yields of 1 to 2 lb pink colored beefsteak tomatoes. These tomatoes have a deep, rich tomato flavor that has made them so popular for over 100 years now. Ask ten different gardeners and they will all have words to describe its legendary flavor, but they all agree it is one tomato that deserves a place in your garden.

BRANDYWINE RED

A truly marvelous stand-out member of the great family of Brandywines, this one arose in Craig LeHoullier's garden years ago. Big 1 pound red fruits with orange shoulders and complex rich flavors. An outstanding tomato for your garden; it also sets fruit very well during high temperatures and bears all season. A reliable producer, very disease resistant, and easy to grow; OTV stands for Off The Vine, which was a wonderful online tomato newsletter published by Carolyn Male and Craig LeHoullier. They describe this tomato as "the best strain of Brandywine set apart from others by its smooth, creamy, almost buttery texture, and harmonious sweet flavor." It originated from a natural cross-pollination of Yellow Brandywine and an unknown red parent, and was further developed and stabilized by Carolyn Male.

JULIENNE-BLUSH

The flavor of blush is brightly sweet and faintly tropical.

ACE-RED

Started through seed cultivation, the Ace Tomato plant will grow anywhere from six to twenty feet. Flowers are white and yellow, and foliage is green. These meaty, red tomatoes are five to six inches in diameter when ready for harvest. Normally Ace Tomatoes weigh between seven and eight ounces. Great for canning , baking and sauces, ripened Ace Tomatoes have a low acidity content and succulent taste.

EARLY DOLL

Very early production of bright red round fruit, approximately 5 ounces each.

CAROLINA GOLD

Extra-large flavorful and abundant fruits with a deep, yellow-gold color.

SUNSHINE

½" long bright orange tomatoes. This variety is firm and sweet. Great for adding color to salads and salsa.

BIG BEEF

Extra-large, extra-meaty, extra-tasty . . . and it's even earlier than the rest! This AAS Winner has it all!

GARDEN PEACH

Garden Peach Tomatoes are a cultivar of tomato, native South American fruit mainly from Peru, where they are known as Coconas. Its small, bright yellow fruit is the standard globe shape of tomato. With its yellow coloring, blushing vaguely pink mottling when very ripe, and fuzzy skin, it resembles a peach. This cultivar is also extremely prolific. It is rich in iron and vitamin B5. The plant grows naturally between 200 and 1,000 meters from Colombia to Ecuador and Perú.

This heirloom is colored exactly like a peach and has a sweet mild flavor. Fruits are 2-4 oz. and perfect for salads. The vines are prolific and very easy to grow in poor soil. The skins are soft like suede!

ROMA-MONICA

Roma tomatoes (and most paste tomatoes for that matter) are never round and circular like the popular Brandywine, Beefsteak or Celebrity. They are generally described as plum tomatoes, or plum shaped. Other adjectives used to describe their shape include: egg shape, pear shape, cylindrical shape, oval shape, elongated oval shape, sausage shape, and tubular shape.

MR. STRIPEY-HEIRLOOM

Slice up a few of these beautiful tomatoes for your next family picnic! Mild, low-acid flavor and intriguing color are sure to win praise. Plum-sized, bicolor fruits have yellow flesh and a pink center.

CHEROKEE PURPLE-HEIRLOOM

Cherokee purple is the name of a cultivar of tomato, unusual for the deep purple/red hue of its fruit. It was one of the first of the "black" color group of tomatoes. It is also unusual in being extremely popular for the sake of its flavor, instead of only its unusual color. Cherokee Purple tomatoes are beefsteak in style, with green "shoulders" across the top. They are also notable for having a dense, juicy texture, with small seed locules irregularly scattered throughout the flesh. The comparatively dark interior color is enhanced by the tendency of the seeds to be surrounded by green gel.