Just what is an Heirloom Tomato and how do they differ from other tomatoes?

The answer to that question is not at all a simple, straight forward one, nor has the answer actually remained the same over the years.

Originally, the term “heirloom”, in reference to gardening, was coined during the early 1970’s to identify those vegetable and flower varieties that had originated with a particular family of people and had subsequently been passed down from one generation to the next up to modern day. Typically, these varieties were obtained a single source who had maintained them so many years. Often these varieties were completely unique and had been limited to only one or two gardens per era. This not only made these varieties very rare, but also made them very desirable by gardeners who revelled in the idea of preserving a very small part of agricultural history, and probably most importantly, in the idea of being one of only a few people with the variety. 

For a few years, the above definition proved to be satisfactory, but as heirloom seeds, and in particular, heirloom tomatoes became more popular, the definition soon changed. Chances are, due primarily to the seed and plant dealers who wished to capitalize on the heirloom market, many old non-heirloom varieties of tomatoes such as Marglobe, Livingston’s New Stone, Henderson’s Ponderosa or Rutgers, suddenly became marketed as “heirlooms”. Meanwhile, as the plant collectors became more and more obsessed with heirlooms, many of these people sought out previously unknown foreign varieties and introduced them as heirlooms. As one single example, one of the best known varieties of “heirloom” tomatoes is the Black Prince Tomato. Though in the United States the variety is regarded as a “rare Russian heirloom”, in reality, the Black Prince Tomato is actually a very popular commercial variety in both Russia and the Ukraine and is of a relatively recent origin. With that in mind, it’s not technically an heirloom, but it has become a sort  of honorary one.

Since 'heirloom' varieties have become popular in the past few years there have been liberties taken with the use of this term for commercial purposes. Heirloom tomato experts, Craig LeHoullier and Carolyn Male, Ph.D. have classified heirlooms into four categories:

1. Commercial Heirlooms: Open-pollinated varieties introduced before 1940.
2. Family Heirlooms: Seeds that have been passed down for several generations through a family.
3. Created Heirlooms: Crossing two known parents (either two heirlooms or an heirloom and a hybrid) and dehybridizing the resulting seeds for how ever many years/generations it takes to eliminate the undesirable characteristics and stabilize the desired characteristics, perhaps as many as 8 years or more.
4. Mystery Heirlooms: Varieties that are a product of natural cross-pollination of other heirloom varieties.

In more recent years, probably the most common definition of what an heirloom tomato is, is that an heirloom tomato is any tomato variety that is not a hybrid and has been in cultivation for at least fifty years.

Last but certainly not least, do not be fooled into believing that all heirloom tomato varieties are better tasting than hybrids just because heirloom varieties are older. Each hybrid has its unique taste as does each heirloom variety.  Just as there are hundreds of tomato varieties (both heirloom and hybrid), there are just as many discriminate consumer palates.  In the end, any homegrown tomato is better than what you can buy in your local supermarket.

Every year we try to bring back the local favorites, and test some new varieties.  So mix, match, and enjoy....keeping in mind that heirloom tomato plants are much less prolific and are ripening slower than hybrids, so quantities will be limited.

Stay tuned for a list of heirlooms for the 2011 season!