The Wild Way Out

Here's the big list-- all the different heirloom tomatoes I grow. All these tomatoes are not just heirlooms but all are grown from seed saved by me. Saving seed guarantees genetic purity (you wouldn't believe how often purchased seed isn't true to the breed!) By choosing which tomatoes will produce the best seed, I also ensure that each generation is as good or better. For example, the Paul Robeson seed I obtained had a horrible cracking problem. That means the tomatoes would develop open cracks in the flesh which severely limits the tomatoes' shelf life. In only one generation, I managed to dramatically reduce cracking. So much so in fact that after a heavy rain which usually causes the worst cracking, Paul Robesons cracked less than Striped Germans which aren't known for significant cracking. I even wrote a haiku about it. When Striped Germans and Paul Robesons battle with rain Paul wins. 3 to 2. I do plan to grow some hybrid tomatoes as well because of their productivity, reliability and superior storage capabilities. But it's these heirlooms I really love. You also notice that some of these varieties are "true" heirlooms meaning that they were handed down through families and/or seed savers. These tomatoes are not available commercially anywhere else as far as I know. (Or unless I gave them to the growers!) Cherry tomatoes Matt's Wild- Matt Liebman visited Mexico and saw these tomato looking weeds growing alongside the roads. He decided to take a chance (a big one since some of these types of weeds are actually poisonous) He found that weeds tasted good! He brought seeds back to the States and they have entered into heirloom tomato history. These tiny red tomatoes, pack the flavor of a large tomato into something about the width of a dime. They are so sweet that they are rated 12 on the Brix scale which supposedly only goes to 10 for tomatoes. Coyote- These came to us from Jeff Fleming in Augusta, MI. They are a yellow version of Matt's Wild. They're tiny, golden colored and have even more sweetness than Matt's. I'd wager they're a 15 or higher on the Brix scale. Utah Phillips- I named these tomatoes myself after one of my heroes. I'd been looking for a good open pollinated red cherry tomato and these showed up in my garden. The seed company made a good mistake for once. I decided to save seeds and see if they bred true. They did. I was pleased. They are a large red cherry tomato. They're sweet and spicy, meaty and juicy. It's a tomato full of contradiction and integrity, just like their namesake. I also have seeds of these available for direct sale and donate proceeds to Hospitality House, a charity Phillips helped found to help people without homes. Since these are a new variety, they haven't been completely stabilized and some variation is normal. Some may appear with ruffled shapes, resembling a Marmande type of tomato but the flavor is unaffected. These tomatoes also earned a haiku. The story is that last year we had a bumper crop of corn spiders. For some reason I'm terrified of them. It's not all spiders, just corn spiders. (Google them if you want to see what I mean.) For some reason they were especially fond of the cherry tomatoes. I just started not picking the tomatoes the where the corn spiders lived. One day I was picking the Utahs and not looking where I was going. Of course I was picking right under a corn spider web. I didn't have my usual panic attack. I just took a deep breath, grabbed a few more tomatoes and got out of there. I named tomatoes For Utah Phillips. They cure Fear of corn spiders. Snow White- These tomatoes aren't truly white and have a little golden cast. They're very sweet with a surprising acidity. Once after a rain, I ate all the cracked ones that appeared, figuring that they were white and had to be low acid. After a couple pounds, my mouth began to burn. That's when I discovered they're surprisingly acidic. They dense and meaty, too. Black Cherry- These are the largest of my cherries and can get almost as large as a golf ball. They are a deep red/dusty purple with green and black shoulders (shoulders are the top of the tomato) Their taste is very sweet and hard to describe. Sometimes they taste exactly like teaberry gum, an old chewing gum variety nobody but me and elders seem to remember. I mostly remember that it was the only gum I ever liked. They have really thick cell walls but have a large and juicy seed pouch. Small-medium tomatoes Green Zebra- These tomatoes are not actually a true heirloom since they were bred fairly recently. However, they're so odd and open-pollinated that most people consider them a heirloom anyway. They're green and yellow with yellow stripes. Do not buy them if there isn't any yellow on them and/or the stripes aren't yellow. These aren't ripe and will taste like nothing. Really ripe ones can even turn orange. They're very sweet and juicy and have a subtle taste that is.... well, green. I usually describe it as a very mild mint. Since these tomatoes are very soft, they're best in salads. They don't hold up well for cooking or sandwiches. Eva Purple Ball- These aren't actually purple but rather an iridescent pink. They're very sweet and tasty. They are good for any method of preparation and are lower acid and so don't produce sauces with too much bite. They are also thin skinned but don't usually have cracking problems making them very desirable and abundant. Black Price- Like any "black" tomato, it isn't black but a dusty red/purple/brown. They have green shoulders. They're sweet with a smoky quality. Since they're very soft, thin skinned and prone to cracking, they don't hold up well in sandwiches. I do really like these cooked but my favorite way to use them is in salsas. The sweetness calms down the heat from peppers and the smokiness imparts a mysterious richness and depth. Striped Hollow- I wish I could get more people into these tomatoes. Many customers don't want these because they feel as if they're being cheated because the tomato is hollow. They'd never scorn a pepper because it's hollow! These tomatoes are shaped like a pepper, have cell walls as thick as a pepper and a seed mass inside like a pepper too. That's where the similarities end. The taste is all rich, spicy, acidic, sweet tomato. I really like these stuffed with some egg or tuna salad on a hot summer day. They also make great stuffed peppers (I use falafel) and don't get slimy like peppers. They even freeze well when cooked and left whole. I even have one customer who likes these sliced on sandwiches because they're so dense and meaty but have fairly thin skins. Oblong Paste types Polish Paste- These came to me from Mark Cohen in Athens County, OH and I have no idea where they came from before that or even if they have a "proper" name. Mark was an organic inspector of the farm one year and loved all our heirlooms. We traded seeds. These are fairly tradtional paste/Italian/Roma tomatoes. They're dense, rich and creamy. They have a thin skin and can be used any way the chef desires. Gilbertie- These aren't really a paste tomato but they are long and shaped like a banana pepper. They're very thin skinned and taste just great. The flesh is sweet and spicy and so creamy they almost taste like they've been buttered. Once I made a sandwich with them and was wondering where I'd found the cheese. I remembered that I'd run out of cheese and I was tasting tomato! I, obviously, like these best for sandwiches. Large tomatoes (many of these can weigh in at over a pound) Mortgage Lifter- The story goes that a man in West Virginia bred these tomatoes during the Depression. When he'd perfected them, he sold them at his farm for $1 each (did I mention the Depression?) He paid his mortgage off completely with the sale of these tomatoes. They're a sweet and acidic red tomato with a great all-around taste. They're fairly soft, but still hold up well in sandwiches. I don't really care for them in cooking because they're so juicy and get mushy too fast. They're also called Radiator Charlie's, after their breeder who supposedly also ran a car repair shop at the top of a hill in WV. The stories may be conflicting but your taste buds will all agree. Striped German- These are a large yellow tomato with a red blossom end (bottom) and green stripes running down the sides. They're very sweet and meaty. My dad prefers these for sandwiches but I like them best for a fresh, quick sauce. They're so meaty that no amount of cooking will completely break them down. Delicious- These tomatoes are bright pink/red. They're very similar to Mortgage Lifters with a sweeter taste and thicker flesh. I find them to be little more versatile because they're meatier. Many people consider them to be the gold standard of red tomatoes. Grandma Oliver- These green tomatoes came to us from Nodding Thistle Farm in Hastings, MI. They had been handed down from great-great-great grandma Oliver. Pat Baker-Smith, the progeny of Grandma Oliver, said she thinks they're a variety commonly called Evergreen. They're green when ripe and can have a yellow bottom and/or yellow stripes. They're very sweet and mild flavored with soft flesh. Paul Robeson- The namesake was an American ex-pat who was a famous singer, actor and football player who earned a law degree from an Rutgers University. He was an outspoken civil rights activist which was one of the reasons he was banned from work in America. His politics were considered questionable as well which is why Russia grew to love him. When this tomato showed up in a Russian's garden, it was named after the national hero. The tomato is big, black, sweet, spicy, meaty and juicy, just like Robeson. I'm also often reminded of a poem by Blair from Detroit (I asked his permission to quote it) I'm including it because I believe that remembering Paul Robeson is important to understanding some of our nations darker histories. "I want to black like Paul Robeson. The day he broke the race barrier at Rutger's, sang opera, and yet never turned his back on us. Who learned how to speak 12 languages fluently so that he could hear his way through the world. Come back! Teach us so called darkies and white trash the things that are being done in all our names." Hungry yet? There's nothing like tomatoes and poetry to fill you up.