the friday feed: heirloom tomatoes {september 22, 2023}

Tomatoes are the essence of summer and heirlooms are the best of the bunch.

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. Heirloom tomatoes are also often open-pollinated, which means that they are pollinated naturally, by birds, insects, wind, or human hands. No weird science-y genetic modification here.

The heirloom tomatoes that are sold at Treadway Gardens are grown right on the property. I love the names: Cherokee Purple, Brandywine, Mr. Stripey. My favorites are the little red ones in front, the Russians.

With traditional tomatoes, flavor takes a backseat to more practical factors, such as disease-resistance and ability to last longer in grocery stores without spoiling. These tomatoes were created for consistency, but not necessarily flavor. Good for people who sell tomatoes, not the people who buy them. We're talking about those watery, mealy, flavorless guys that get sliced up and put on fast food burgers. Hard pass. Heirloom tomatoes, on the other hand, have been bred for their flavor and juiciness—which may also mean a lower yield and shorter shelf-life. That rich taste you experience when you bite into one likely has been developed over many years, which is why it packs a delicious punch.

The tomato season is short and the heirloom season is even shorter. My favorite way to eat them is sliced with a sprinkle of salt. Summer on a plate.