While the name gets thrown around a lot, especially with the ever-increasing discussion of shopping at local farmers markets and avoiding conventionally grown, mass produced produce, many consumers still wonder what heirloom tomatoes really are.
While some feel that a set, defined time limit of 50 or 100 years must be included in the definition of an heirloom plant, the short definition of an heirloom tomato is that it is an open-pollinated tomato plant, meaning that it is naturally pollinated by exposure to birds, insects and animals. Hybrid plants, the commercially grown tomatoes, do not always produce reliable, viable seeds due to the fact that some (if not most) of the crosses used to generate the plants were done artificially.
The more traditional tomatoes, those that are often seen in supermarkets and the majority of restaurants, have been bred to enhance certain characteristics besides flavor. For example, many have been selected for disease resistance or for having a slightly thicker skin, which makes them hold up better during shipping. Most of these conventional tomatoes are close to spherical and very red in color. Their flavor is ordinary, with little "wow" factor.
Heirlooms have the "wow" factor. The reason that the particular plants have been grown for decades - in some cases, preserved by passing them from family member to family member - is that they taste great. And each variety tastes different.
The problem with heirloom tomatoes is that they are far more sensitive than the conventional tomatoes. They do not necessarily ship well, too delicate to be put into crates like the regular tomatoes can be, and the very sensitive crops can be greatly reduced when the weather is too wet, too dry, too hot or too cold. These are all factors that can influence the yield of a conventional tomato crop, but their bred-in hardiness allows them to stand up to some climactic variation more easily.
When it comes to selecting heirlooms, you will probably have to go to your local farmer's market or to a specialty/organic grocer. Remember that they will range widely in shape and come in colors from green to red to black and do not be put off by it! There are hundreds of different types (not all available in one place) and they are all unique. Buy a sampling and taste them all. The best way to eat them, if you can't pluck them right off the vine, is to put them into a simple salad or sandwich, where their flavor can really shine. Other options include:
or, you could simply pick up a copy of The Heirloom Tomato Cookbook for more ideas.
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