Tigerella aka Mr. Stripey
The Tigerella truly lives up to its name. Smallish, bright red with orange stripes, these colorful tomatoes make a lovely addition to any salad. It is an early and prolific producer.
KC Tomato Times Tomato Tasting 2009
With 39 varieties to sample and perfect weather, the tomato tasting was a spectacular success!
The Mighty KBX
KBX is a potato leaf version of Kellogg’s Breakfast. They’ve produced massive fruit, but they have also been favorites of the insects in Tomato Town. These yellow-orange, beefsteak tomatoes are originally from West Virginia, and are incredibly meaty, have few seeds and a sweet, tangy flavor.
The Black Cherry
The Black Cherry is, by far, our favorite cherry tomato. This modest fruit has the all the intensity of the black varieties. Production has been slow, but we have savored each and every one! We’ve found the best time to eat them is right off the vine. Once warmed by the afternoon sun, the warm […]
Paul Robeson – Hold the shaker
If you like salt on your tomatoes then you’ll love the Paul Robeson variety. Farmer J cut one up this morning, and I couldn’t believe it when she said she hadn’t added salt. Salty and smokey in taste, the dark-red wine color compliments its flavor. Researching the history of this variety was a mini-history lesson. […]
Aussie – Dependable and Funky
I love the style of this Australian heirloom tomato. It’s a break from the perfectly shaped tomatoes that we typically harvest. It’s ribbed. Or, some describe it as fluted. Farmer J’s mom doesn’t like ribbed or fluted varieties, as she says that you lose too much tomato. I like the look, and how it feels. […]
Hey Good Lookin’
This variety, most likely named after the country-western singer Boxcar Willie, is a dependable producer, and looks great surrounded by thyme from the herb garden in Tomato Town.
French Beefsteak
Another tomato in the beefsteak family, which means it’s good for slicing and for sandwiches. But, what tomato isn’t? Farmer J has been known to have a cherry tomato sandwich. Some folks on the internet think this one tastes better than the Tomato Town favorite, the (mighty) Cherokee Purple. Farmer T does not agree, though […]
Super Snow White
I spent about 30 minutes this morning looking for the origin of this small, tasty tomato. I’ve got nothing. Most of the sites I’ve found merely reference each other. As a journalist, I need verification! For the description of the Julia Child variety, I felt pretty confident in the ‘internet story’ of it’s origin only […]
Martino’s Roma – Now that’s Italian!
Another pear-shaped tomato, perfect for cooking, but good for eating fresh as well. This Italian heirloom tomato is recommended for canning, paste, and making sauces. It contains few seeds, and is very ‘meaty’. Farmer J finds them to be perfect for snacking. “They were my favorite tomato when I was a kid,” she told Farmer […]
Beam’s Yellow Pear
This is one of our favorite varieties, and one of the oldest that I’ve encountered. According to a couple of sources, Beam’s Yellow Pear dates back to the seventeenth century. I can understand how this variety has survived, as each plant produces hundreds of fruits. We planted this variety last year and had to […]
Julia Child – Sammich Makin’ Tomato
This lovely variety resembles the ampleness that was Julia Child. Gary Ibsen, who sells organic heirloom tomato seeds, was friends with Julia, and wanted to honor her. In 2001, he asked her what type of tomato she wanted to lend her name to. She replied, “Tasty, my dear.” I love her! Mr. Ibsen had some […]
Mortgage Lifter
This tomato variety was developed in the early 1930’s by a radiator repairman, M.C. “Radiator Charlie” Byles in Logan, West Virginia. According to internet sources, Mr. Byles crossed four types of tomatoes to create a plant that produces sandwich-ready fruit. He then sold seedlings to customers for the low-low price of $1, and paid off […]
Stupice – A Czech beauty
The first two tomatoes harvested in Tomato Town are an heirloom variety called Stupice (stu-pi-zza). The variety originated in Czechoslovakia, which is appropriate given all the time that Farmer J spent there. These little guys were picked on July 2, and enjoyed on the 3rd. They are meant to be used in soups, salsas and […]