Homegrown Tomatoes

Today is a sad day in the music world – one of my all-time favorite Texas songwriters Guy Clark passed away today at the age of 74. In honor of Guy’s song “Homegrown Tomatoes”, I offer this discussion of the humble love apple. In fact, the tomato is one of the most important food items in American history. Its origins have been traced to South America, specifically to the highlands of Peru and it migrated northward into the rest of the Americas. The word "tomato" comes from an Aztec word "tomatl" which means the swelling fruit. Spanish explorers carried the tomato during their colonization and took it back to Europe in the 1500's. From there is spread like juicy, delicious wildfire throughout the continent as well as the Philippines, Caribbean and across Southeast Asia.

Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra and grape tomatoes

There are about 7500 different varieties of tomatoes, although we only see a small fraction of them in our grocery stores. Many of the most common varieties are hybrids, cross pollinated to create fruit that is disease resistant, hearty, easy to grow, abundant and pleasing to the eye of the consumer. Varieties like beefsteak or plum tomatoes were created specifically for these purposes. But the tomatoes that these hybrids originated from are now some of the most popular varieties available. These heirlooms varieties are not as disease resistant and are bumpy and weird looking, but they are some of the most succulent, luscious tomatoes that will ever pass your lips.

For the last couple of decades, home gardeners and small farmers have breathed new life into heirloom tomatoes with great success. While most commercially raised tomatoes are red, smooth and round, heirlooms present a rainbow of exciting colors, shapes and rich flavors. I have been growing a number of different heirloom varieties and am always surprised by their vast differences in taste and appearance.  

Green Zebras on the vine

Last year I grew these varieties:

Cherokee Purple - As its name suggests, this tomato is reddish purple and its flesh is strikingly dark and rich. Its flavor is sweet and meaty and its perfect cut into wedges and served with flaky salt.

Green Zebra - This small, greenish yellow striped tomato might make you think it isn't ripe, but it is...and it's got fantastic flavor.  It’s sweet and tart and really juicy. This tomato is visually striking and when sliced and presented on a platter will dazzle your guests.

San Marzano – This is the most famous plum tomato to come out of Italy. They are traditionally grown in the rich volcanic soil at the base of Mount Vesuvius, which gives them a sweet flavor and low acidity and they are coveted for their firm pulp, deep red color, easy to remove skin and low seed count. I used mine for sauce.

This year I am growing:

Mr. Stripey – This beefsteak variety has mostly yellow flesh with red and yellow stripes and is very sweet.  I can’t wait to slice these up for sandwiches.

Pink Brandywine - This dark pink, soft and juicy tomato is one of the most popular heirloom varieties and its rich flavor is just spectacular. You can do anything with it and it's completely delicious.

Golden Jubilee – This one has a golden orange color and is known for a low seed count, making for a very meaty and juicy tomato.

A few important tips: don't EVER put your tomatoes in the refrigerator. This is the cardinal rule of tomatoes. The cold temperature completely kills the flavor. You should always leave your tomatoes sitting in a bowl or vegetable rack on your kitchen counter for optimum flavor. And if your tomatoes are not quite ripe, put them in a paper bag for a day or two and the gasses they release will help them ripen.

Unripe tomatoes ready for pickling

Last year I had seven tomato plants and was picking my own tomatoes well into September. The San Marzano tomatoes got blanched, peeled and frozen in plastic containers, which came out during the winter months for pasta sauce. We ate as many as we could and gave a lot away. Starting in July, I had several bowls of homegrown tomatoes sitting on the counter and we ate tomatoes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night snacks. I had so many green ones left at the end of the season that I pickled them and ended up with more than a dozen jars of pickled green tomatoes. This year I have five tomato plants in the ground and I can’t wait to see what they yield. 

In Guy Clark’s song “Homegrown Tomatoes”, he sings “When I die don’t bury me, in a box in a cemetery, out in the garden would be much better, and I could be pushin’ up homegrown tomatoes”. I think this song is a blessing for a good tomato year and I’ll be playing Guy Clark songs in my garden this summer with the hope they inspire my best crop yet.