15 Gorgeous Heirloom Tomato Recipes | Oh My Veggies (2024)

FAQs

What is the tastiest heirloom tomato? ›

Heirloom varieties are open-pollinated. This means you can save seeds from heirloom tomatoes, plant them, and expect them to grow into new tomato plants. If two or more varieties are planted close to one another, you might just end up with a new variety! This means they should not be made available all-year-round.

Cut tomatoes into ½-inch thick slices, lightly brush with olive oil and grill for a couple minutes or until charred and heated through. Serve in a salad or atop a burger. Also try cutting tomatoes in half and grilling, then sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs for a quick and easy side dish.

So, why are heirloom tomatoes more expensive? There aren't as many of them, they need quite a bit of care and time to ripen, and they're hard to ship. Every one of these factors contributes to a higher cost per tomato.

Heirloom tomatoes provide a vast number of nutrients including potassium, niacin, vitamin B6 and folate and the cancer fighting antioxidant lycopene. Since they are picked when ripe and spend little time traveling from farm to plate, these nutrients are readily available to nourish your body.

Handling: To eat raw, remove stem, wash, and slice. Storing: Tomatoes will last up to 1 week stored at room temperature and longer if still ripening. Not fully ripe tomatoes will continue to ripen at 60-75 degrees out of the sun.

An heirloom tomato (also called heritage tomato in the UK) is an open-pollinated, non-hybrid heirloom cultivar of tomato. They are classified as family heirlooms, commercial heirlooms, mystery heirlooms, or created heirlooms.

If the tomatoes are not yet ripe, they are best stored on the counter for a few days until they ripen. (You'll know they're ripe when they're fragrant and give a little bit to the touch.) Once they're ripe, either consume them or go ahead and put them in the refrigerator to preserve their freshness.

When should I eat heirloom tomatoes? ›

Here are some indicators that we use when deciding whether an heirloom tomato is ready to eat: Check the color on the bottom of the tomato– the darker it is, the riper it is. What variety are your heirlooms? Red varieties should be a deep red when ripe, yellow varieties should be a deep yellow, and so on.

Heirloom tomatoes are absolutely worth the price. The amazing and unique flavors that come from heirloom tomatoes are like no other tomatoes I eat during the other eleven months of the year. Now, with that said, do I buy them all the time? No.

Heirlooms are particularly susceptible to fungus, which makes them crack and split. Farmers growing heirlooms get one-third the yield (or even less) than they would if they were growing hybrids, because so many plants and fruits are damaged by pests and disease.

Growing heirloom tomatoes can be tricky, though, often requiring more labor and producing lower yields than modern tomato varieties. The biggest concern with heirloom tomato production is disease.

In fact, since heirloom tomatoes are mostly a 'buy local' product, this provides you with a garden-fresh vegetable you can sell at local farmers markets, direct from your home/yard and other opportunities that focus on locally-grown, fresh, natural produce.

Each heirloom variety has a distinctive story, history, flavor and appearance. In general, heirlooms are commonly less seedy, more flavorful and colorful, and sweeter then hybrid tomatoes.

'Golden Sweet': Touted as the sweetest and best-tasting yellow grape tomato, the indeterminate vines produce lots of glossy gold fruits that are crack-resistant, firm and meaty. 2. 'Isis Candy': This is a very pretty cherry tomato with golden fruits streaked with red.

The Pruden's Purple Tomato, also known as Prudence, is considered to be one of the best heirloom beefsteak tomatoes in America! This tomato variety is an indeterminate, potato leaf plant that has heavy yields of 10-16 ounce, dark pink fruits. Pruden's Purple produces only very few seeds and is widely adapted.

'San Marzano'

Italy is home to these deep red, plum-type tomatoes, and 'San Marzanos' grown in the rich soil of the Campania region are said to be among the world's best paste types. Their sweet flavor, dense pulp, low acidity and low seed count make them ideal for homemade sauces and pizzas.