We grow mostly heirloom tomatoes, which are old-fashioned
open-pollinated types that people have passed down through their families. You will be getting tomatoes that when ripe are
white, light yellow, dark yellow, orange, green, red, dark pink, and striped
and bi-colored. Some are big slicers,
others little cherries, some for salads and some for sauce and salsa. The
variety is enormous. Many of these will
be odd shaped (compared to commercial varieties) and some will have green
shoulders. The green part is edible—it’s
just a characteristic of that type of tomato.
You will sometimes get tomatoes that have unripened patches
inside. That happens when the
temperature during ripening gets above about 85 degrees. There is nothing we can do about that unless
we install ac in our tunnels! Any unripe
areas are certainly edible and as the season cools down you will see less of
this in your tomatoes.
Never, no never, store your tomatoes in the refrigerator. It’s way too cold and it will change both the
flavor and texture—and not for the better.
Leave them on the counter and eat while they are room temperature for
the best flavor.
When you eat an heirloom tomato you are tasting a bit of
history: Mortgage Lifter, Boxcar Willie, Aunt Ruby’s German Green, Amish paste,
Omar’s Red…..they tell the story of America. Enjoy tomato season!
