What are some of the best types of heirloom tomatoes?
The Top 10 Best Types of Tomatoes
- Heirloom Tomatoes. With heirloom tomatoes that have been handed down through the years, you can go back to your culinary origins.
- Grape Tomatoes. ...
- Roma Tomatoes. ...
- Paste Tomatoes. ...
- Campari Tomatoes. ...
- Cherokee Purple Tomatoes. ...
- Brandywine Tomatoes. ...
- Cocktail Tomatoes. ...
- Santorini Tomatoes. ...
- Adoration Tomatoes. ...
Are heirloom tomatoes always worth the price?
The answer was easy for me. Heirloom tomatoes are absolutely worth the price. The amazing and unique flavors that come from heirloom tomatoes are like no other tomatoes I eat during the other eleven months of the year. Now, with that said, do I buy them all the time? No. But, I will undoubtedly buy a few pounds every August.
What is so special about heirloom tomatoes?
Why Heirloom Tomatoes are so Special…
- These guys are loaded with flavor.
- Some common varieties of heirloom tomatoes are: What makes something an “heirloom”? Let’s get into a couple of quick facts about them. ...
- Dan explains a few different types of heirlooms: In his heirloom tomato video, Dan went over a few different types of heirlooms. You have homework to do…
- Flavor and consistency. ...
Are heirloom tomatoes the same as organic tomatoes?
You can grow heirloom varieties either organically or conventionally. Organic tomatoes may be heirloom or hybrid, but are grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, and are non-GMO. No, heirloom tomatoes can be grown conventionally or Organically like all tomatoes.
What is so special about heirloom tomatoes?
Heirlooms are open-pollinated which means they are pollinated out in the wide open as nature intended. Bees, insects, birds, or how the wind blows: there is no intentional intervention. Heirlooms are grown from saved seeds and are at least 50 years old, and some can be a 100+ years old.
What is the difference between heirloom tomatoes and regular?
Heirloom tomatoes are varieties that have been grown without crossbreeding for 40 or more years. This is in contrast to the typical supermarket tomatoes, which are hybrids that have been carefully crossbred to have particular characteristics.
What does heirloom mean in tomatoes?
The seeds are what make an heirloom tomato an heirloom tomato. They are passed down from season to season, taken by the farmers from the tomato plants that produced the best fruit. This process allows farmers to select for certain desirable traits like juiciness, size, shape, or color.
How can you tell if a tomato is heirloom?
Heirlooms usually haven't been hybridized for qualities that include shelf life, color and uniform appearance. They are often "ugly" with deep cracks and bumps. The colors are variegated and range from deep browns and purples to light yellows, pinks and everything in between.
What is another name for heirloom tomatoes?
heritage tomatoAn heirloom tomato (also called heritage tomato in the UK) is an open-pollinated, non-hybrid heirloom cultivar of tomato. They are classified as: family heirlooms, commercial heirlooms, mystery heirlooms, or created heirlooms.
Why is heirloom tomato so expensive?
Why are Heirloom Tomatoes So Expensive? Heirloom tomatoes are expensive because they are not mass-produced. With fewer available (than hybrids), their price typically stays high. Heirlooms are not disease resistant, their vines produce less per acre than hybrid varieties, and they do not travel well.
Are heirloom tomatoes healthier?
Health Benefits Heirloom tomatoes contain lycopene, one of the most powerful natural antioxidants. Lycopene has also been shown to protect the skin from harmful UV rays. Lycopene may also help relieve the oxidative stress of people who already have diabetes.
Is heirloom genetically modified?
By definition, heirloom varieties have not been genetically modified or hybridized. Flavor. Heirloom varieties carry the original traits and the diverse, wonderful flavor qualities naturally inherited by their region.
What is the most popular heirloom tomato?
Cherokee Purple One of the most popular heirloom tomatoes is the Cherokee Purple. It's a unique bush-style plant that is an indeterminate tomato, taking about 80 to maturity. Gardeners adore Cherokee Purple due to its disease resistance and ability to handle dry spells well.
Are cherry tomatoes heirloom or hybrid?
Some popular varieties of hybrid tomatoes are Big Beef, Cherry, Sweet 100, Early Girl, Better Boy, and Grape.
Are Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes heirlooms?
Sweet 100 Tomatoes are not heirloom tomatoes because they are grown from hybrid seed, not from open-pollinated seed.
Can you eat heirloom tomatoes raw?
Because of their vibrant flavor, heirloom tomatoes should either be left raw or cooked just enough to warm them up.
Are heirloom tomatoes better?
Many tomato aficionados agree that in general, these tomatoes taste better than hybrid and genetically modified tomatoes. Unfortunately, however, heirloom tomatoes also tend to be less pest resistant, produce less fruit, and not keep very well, three factors that make them generally more expensive than other tomatoes.
Why don t grocery stores sell heirloom tomatoes?
Going back to the old varieties is not an option — at least, not for grocery stores. “We don't want to grow the heirloom varieties because sometimes you'll get two tomatoes per plant and that's not practical,” says Tieman. “They can't be shipped for long distances and they have no shelf life.”
Are heirloom foods healthier?
Nutrition. In addition to authentic flavor, heirlooms offer more nutritional value than processed or hybridized varieties, as they are naturally rich in vitamins and nutrients.
Which is better heirloom or organic?
Gardening organically goes hand in hand with growing heirlooms, since many were introduced before synthetic fertilizers and pesticides became available. But heirloom does not guarantee produce was raised without chemicals, making organic a better choice when you're worried about toxins.
Baywater Farms Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes
Heirloom cherry tomatoes offer the same beautiful sweetness of heirloom beefsteak tomatoes in the same impressive color palette, but in a smaller package. Heirloom cherry tomatoes are ideal for serving in salads of all types and paired with our fresh hydroponic herbs.
What We Offer
Baywater Farms heirloom cherry tomatoes are available in pints and 12 pint flats filled with sun-ripened, juicy sweetness. We grow our heirloom cherry tomatoes indeterminately so that they are available all season long.
Take A Bite
Baywater Farms heirloom cherry tomatoes work perfectly wherever you would use other varieties of small tomatoes, but they are delicious when quartered and tossed in salads. Roasting heirloom cherry tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh-cracked pepper will give them a mellow flavor and transform them into a spread begging for a baguette.
Our Farm
Baywater Farms is passionate about cultivating non-GMO, heirloom cherry tomatoes with love and care in the same soil that our great-grandparents tilled. On our sixth-generation family farm, all of our non-GMO, heirloom, and sustainable produce is grown using high-quality seeds that yield gorgeous, colorful, and delicious results.
Find Our Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes
You can find our fresh heirloom cherry tomatoes in national grocery store chains, produce distribution companies, roadside farm stands, local farm-to-table restaurants, CSAs, and farmers’ markets. To learn more about ordering our fresh local produce, click here.
Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes from Baywater Farms
Baywater Farms is a sixth-generation family-owned and operated farm servicing Ocean City, Annapolis, Laurel, Salisbury, and the Eastern Shore.
Hybrid vs. Heirloom Tomatoes
To understand what makes heirloom tomatoes so distinct from what you can find at the grocery store, let's first go over a little plant breeding 101:
What Makes Heirloom Tomatoes Different?
There's a reason heirloom tomatoes have a growing fan base. To put it simply, most people think they taste better. They were bred for local consumption, with farmers preserving the seeds that tasted the best, so it only makes sense that flavor is the number one priority when it comes to heirloom tomatoes.
Heirloom Tomato Varieties
Heirloom tomatoes can be green, pale yellow, bright orange, deep red, purple, or even chocolate brown. They can vary in size and shape — some are small and smooth, while others are large, lumpy, and lopsided.
Ways to Use Heirloom Tomatoes
We've established that heirloom tomatoes have incredible flavor, and they're just as visually stunning as they are delicious. For this reason, putting them on display in fresh form is best. Try them in salads like this Heirloom Tomato Salad with Rosemary or this Heirloom Tomato Salad with Mozzarella and Basil.
