07/19/11

You say “Tomato”, I say “Tomato…” A story by Jim Pfitzer

You say “Tomato,” I say “Tomato…”

Tomatoes are tomatoes… right? Of course not! We all know that some tomatoes are local, some are organic while others are conventionally grown, some are pesticide free, some harvested green, others vine-ripened. Some of these distinctions are, of course, very important, but I suspect you wouldn’t be CSA members if you weren’t aware of and didn’t value at least some of those differences.

It isn’t just growing practices that make tomatoes different from one another, though. There are intrinsic difference as well. There are red tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, purple ones, big ones, little ones, ugly ones… At the moment at Crabtree, there are ten different varieties coming ripe, and before the season is over we will be harvesting an additional six types. That’s a lot of different tomatoes, so this week I will attempt to demystify them just a little and hopefully give you some ideas as to what to do with whatever tomatoes end up in your box.

Most of the tomatoes at Crabtree are heirloom varieties, meaning that these tomatoes are long-protected strains that are open-pollinated, have viable seeds, and whose genetic integrity predates World War II. If you want to learn a little more about heirloom, you might check out tomatofest.com.

This week and next I will cover the ten tomatoes currently being harvested. If you enjoy it, let me know, and I will write a third article as more tomatoes come in.

Valencia is a medium-sized, orange-colored tomato that slowfoodusa.org says “has an excellent, full, complex tomato taste, with a great balance of acidic and sweet. It is meaty and rich with few seeds. It has been described as bursting with flavor, rich and buttery as well as pineapple-like, sweet and refreshing, like a really ripe ground cherry.” The Valencia is one of my favorite tomatoes, especially diced atop a plate of pasta with pesto and covered with fresh Parmesan cheese!

Moskvich tomatoes are typically a little smaller than a baseball, and oddly shaped with facets that make them almost hexagonal.  This Russian variety has a wonderful sweet, slightly savory flavor. A touch of salt brings out a smooth, buttery taste that lingers in the back of the mouth. I highly recommend this tomato diced in a salad with a simple vinaigrette dressing that lets the flavor of the tomato shine!

Peron Sprayless tomatoes are a winner if you are into presentation, but without any sacrifice in flavor. Sliced, these tomatoes have a beautifully classic tomato look. They are sweet, a little tart and while they keep well, they are also great for canning and have a higher than average amount of vitamin C.

Bellstar. If you are looking for paste, juice, or canning, this is the tomato for you. They are small to medium and very dense.  The pasty texture of these tomatoes makes them undesirable for slicing and dicing, but, hey, that’s not what we grow them for!

Sungold. I don’t know what to do with these tomatoes in the kitchen, because at my house they never make it that far. They are sweet, and ideal for popping in your mouth and eating whole right off the vine. They are what summer is all about!

In the next edition: Cherokee Purple, Brandyboy, Paul Robeson, Back Cherry, and Pink Beauty.