04 Dec 15 Ag & Culinary Pros Share Their Favorite Heirloom Tomatoes
Article sourced from Modern Farmer
GREEN ENVY
“Edible perfection. This emerald-green cherry tomato produces tons of fruit all summer long.” – Venelin Dimitrov, Senior Product Manager, Burpee; Warminster, PA
BIG RAINBOW
“This beefsteak makes a damn good Bloody Mary.” – Anthony Sasso, Executive Chef, La Sirena; New York City
AUNT RUBY’S GERMAN GREEN
“Fried green tomatoes, OMG! I live in the South, so this beefsteak tops my list.” – Kevin Mitchell, Chef/Instructor, Culinary Institute of Charleston; Charleston, SC
BRAD’S ATOMIC GRAPE
“A super-tasty psychedelic wonder that comes hard and quick in 75 days.” – Aimee Olexy, Co-owner, The Love; Philadelphia
PINEAPPLE
“Extra-large with a consistently moist center, ‘Pineapple’ beefsteak is one stunning specimen.” – Kurt Timmermeister, Owner, Kurtwood Farms and Kurt Farm Shop; Vashon Island, WA, and Seattle
BANANA LEGS
“New-to-me varieties with quirky names always prove hard to resist, but these won me over with their low acidity and unique candelabra-bulb form.” – Ilene Rosen, Co-owner, R&D Foods; Brooklyn
CARBON
“The most reliable and flavorful purple beef- steak, hands down.” – Peter Zuck, Vegetable Product Manager, Johnny’s Selected Seeds; Winslow, ME
GERMAN YELLOW
“Our go-to beefsteak has the perfect
wide stance for sandwich filling.” – Matt Lee and Ted Lee, Founders, The Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts Catalogue; Charleston, SC
BLACK BEAUTY
“Created by a breeder famous for Willy Wonka”“esque varieties, this is the granddaddy of slicing tomatoes – earthy and juicy with no pucker.” – Shannon McCabe, Horticulturist and Gardening Writer, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds; Mansfield, MO
ROSE DE BERNE
“This slicer has long been my favorite – pinkish and incredibly sweet.” – Michael Pollan, Author, The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Cooked; Berkeley, CA
GARDENER’S SWEETHEART
“These awesome, easy-to-grow cherry tomatoes hold on their trusses and never split!” – Lane Selman, Founder/ Director, Culinary Breeding Network; Portland, OR
GERMAN PINK
“This beefsteak is one of two heirlooms that started Seed Savers Exchange. The great-grandparents of our co-founder Diane Ott Whealy brought the seeds to Iowa when they emigrated from Bavaria in the 1870s.” – Alicia Chilton, Marketing and Development Manager, Seed Savers Exchange; Decorah, IA
KELLOG’S BREAKFAST
“Yes, I’m from Battle Creek, Michigan, where the cereal company is based. But it’s the low seed count and beautiful orange color that had me using these beef- steaks all last summer.” – Thomas Lents, Executive Chef, The Apparatus Room; Detroit
SAN MARZANO REDORTA
“An Italian plum tomato, ‘San Marzano Redorta’ creates wonderfully complex sauces and salsas.” – Gary “Tomato Man” Ibsen, Founder, TomatoFest; Little River, CA
BLONDKÖPFCHEN
“These delicious cherry tomatoes manage to reseed themselves in our Zone 3”“4 garden every year.” – Alissa Hessler, Founder, Urban Exodus; Camden, ME