This article originally appeared in the State Journal-Register on September 10, 2008. The SJ-R has made their original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. Copyright © 2008 GateHouse Media, Inc. Some Rights Reserved.
The taste of heirloom tomatoes is worth the trouble
By KATHRYN REM
STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Posted Sep 10, 2008 @ 12:12 AM
Shannon Kirshner/The State Journal-Register
Heirloom tomato varieties include, left to right, Dr. Bill's Sweet Cherry,
Cherokee Purple, Amana Orange, Rutgers and Black Cherry.
Bill Becker grows about 50 varieties of heirloom tomatoes on some of the 111
acres of land at Jubilee Farm, an ecology and spirituality center
located west of Springfield and run by Dominican sisters.
"When you grow an heirloom, you have to learn what it likes," said
Becker, a crop consultant who has a Ph.D. in plant pathology.
Heirlooms can be a little cranky. They take longer to harvest than
hybrid varieties, are prone to cracking, have vines that run wild
without staking and need constant tending. But the payoff is the
flavor, which is intense and unique to each variety. For those who
think all tomatoes taste alike, a sampling of heirlooms might change
their minds.
"We saw a growing demand for locally grown food," said Becker. "We knew it was going to be big, so we put in the heirlooms."
Jubilee Farm sells two kinds of heirloom cherry tomatoes at the
Schnucks supermarket at Montvale Commons and supplies the Dominican
motherhouse with tomatoes and other vegetables.
The farm also offers a community-supported agriculture program, which
rewards members who pay farm costs upfront with a stream of fresh
vegetables during harvest season. Besides tomatoes, Becker grows
peppers, green beans, eggplant, sweet potatoes and other organic
vegetables.
With heirloom tomatoes, it's especially important to have healthy soil.
"When you get plants healthy by using compost, resistance to disease
sets in," said Becker. He makes compost by heating kitchen waste and
droppings from the farm's llamas and chickens.
When he started working at the farm four years ago, there were no
earthworms in the soil. Now there are 25 per square foot, a sign of
rich, vibrant earth.
To encourage production, he uses red plastic sheeting as a weed
barrier. An experimental seeding resulted in 25 percent more tomato
yield using the red barrier, a phenomenon Becker attributes to red
wavelengths.
Heirloom tomatoes, sometimes called heritage tomatoes, are
open-pollinated, or non-hybrid, cultivars. There’s some debate about
which seeds qualify as heirlooms. Some people say the variety has to be
more than 100 years old. Others use the date 1945, the end of World War
II, as the beginning of widespread hybrid use by seed companies and
industrial agriculture.
Others define heirlooms as cultivars that have been selected and handed
down from one family member to another for many generations.
Becker's personal favorite is the Cherokee Purple, a pre-1890 Tennessee
heirloom with a sweet flavor and a rose-purple color so dark it's often
called a "black" tomato.
Among the others he grows is Rutgers, a bright red tomato that is a
favorite for canning because of its juiciness; Sprite, a red oval grape
tomato with thin skin; Amana Orange, an orange beefsteak with a flavor
reminiscent of tropical fruit; Black Cherry, a deep mahogany brown
cherry tomato with a complex, sweet flavor; and Dr. Bill's Sweet
Cherry, a large red cherry tomato known for its vigorous plant.
Besides composting, Becker puts a 50/50 mix of kelp meal and
mycorrhizal fungi in the transplant hole to strengthen the plants' root
systems. And he uses companion planting to naturally discourage pests.
In the fall, he plants something from the mustard family (such as
broccoli or brussels sprouts) and then puts a tomato transplant in the
same hole in the spring.
Other advice from Becker on heirloom tomato-growing:
- Remove the first bloom and all the suckers below it to encourage root growth.
- If leaves start to spot, remove them from the plant (and from the area) to get rid of spores.
- Buy heirloom seeds from a reputable dealer. One source is Seed
Savers Exchange (www.seedsavers.org), a Decorah, Iowa-based, non-profit organization that saves and shares heirloom seeds.
"Buy them from someone you know, preferably a seed saver," he said.
Recipes are from "The Great Tomato Book" by Gary Ibsen and Joan Nielsen (Ten Speed Press, 1999).
Old-Fashioned Tomato Cream Soup
2½ pounds ripe red tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, studded with 10 whole cloves
1¼ cups beef stock
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1½ cups heavy whipping cream, heated almost to boiling
Fresh basil leaves, julienned, for garnish
In a large, deep saucepan over medium heat, cook the tomatoes, onion,
beef stock, basil, salt and pepper, nutmeg and coriander for 30
minutes. Let cool a little, then remove and discard the cloves from the
onions.
Puree the soup in a blender until smooth. (This may be done in
batches.) Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in the baking soda
and sugar. Blend the flour and butter to form a smooth paste. Stir this
into the soup.
Watching carefully, cook the soup over a medium-low heat until
thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and
slowly stir in the warmed cream. Return the soup to the heat and
continue to warm it, just until it is piping hot and about to come to a
boil. (Don’t let it boil or it will curdle.) Serve soup garnished with
basil leaves.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Classic Tomato Sauce With Fresh Tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
1½ pounds ripe red tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped and hard cores removed (about 3 cups)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions
and garlic and cook about 3 minutes, or until onions are translucent.
Add tomatoes and any of their liquid. Cook 7 to 10 minutes. (The
cooking time may vary according to the ripeness, variety of tomato used
or quality of tomatoes, and will dictate how long you cook the sauce.
Use your best judgment.)
Season with the salt and pepper. Leave chunky or blend in a food processor fitted with a metal blade.
Makes 4 servings as a sauce for pasta (3 cups).
Kathryn Rem can be reached at 788-1520.
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