HEIRLOOM TOMATO VARIETIES

Early Girl

It's the peak of the season! Did you know there more than 600 heirloom varieties in existence? Each one is uniquely interesting and beautiful. I have been studying and tasting many different types of heirloom varieties, and some tomatoes I liked so much that I saved the seeds for my pop's garden next year. And just for fun, I thought I would take this opportunity to distinguish a couple of the more common ones featured at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza market.

Green Zebra

Green zebras are probably one of the most deceptive looking tomatoes. Because of their green exterior, I often think of very immature, acidic and hard fruit destined to be thrown in a batch of fried green tomatoes. Indeed, looks can be deceiving. Green zebras are sweet with strong zesty tomato flavors.

Red Zebra

Red zebras feature a sweet, fruity and lightly acidic in flavor that is similar to the green zebra. Because of their denser texture, both red and green zebras are excellent sliced in salads.

Black Brandywine

There are several diverse strains of brandywine tomatoes. Similar to the classic brandywine, black brandywines are large, meaty and intensely tomato flavored.

Pink Brandywine

Although pink brandywines typically have less depth of color when compared to red or purple brandywines, the flesh is actually sweeter than its red or purple cousins. The thin-skinned nature of this tomato variety makes it a great sliced in sandwiches and salads.

Yellow Brandywine

Yellow brandywines are even sweeter than its red, purple or pink cousins. With a naturally higher sugar content, yellow brandywines are milder in acidity, and have a slightly creamy texture.

Red Brandywine

Red brandywines have a robust and strong tomato flavor with a delightful acidity.

Cherokee Purple

Purple Cherokees are the variety for those seeing a sweet, supple flesh fruit with subtle tomato flavors. Its gorgeous deep purple and red colors are also a nice contrast from the your everyday tomato.

San Marzano

San Marzanos are plum tomatoes are native to Italy and are commonly stewed or canned. This variety has a meaty texture and sweet flesh.

Flamme

Flamme are very juicy and sweet heirloom tomatoes that are indigenous to France. Because of their petite size and sweetness, they are excellent in salads.

Pineapple

The pineapple heirloom veriety is a rare beefsteak-style tomato that features sweet and mildly acidic flesh.

Lemon Boy

Lemon boys are big, bright and intensely yellow in color, with mildly sweet flesh and tangy tomato flavors.

Copia

Costaluto Genovese