STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID COHLMEYER

Garden-fresh tomatoes are a highlight of everyone’s summer. They can be so tasty, so simple, so attractive, so nutritious, so adaptable, so varied, so historical, and so reliable. Serve them grilled, poached, baked, simmered, dried, confit, or simply raw. There is no shortage of menu possibilities. The best flavour comes from varieties that have withstood the test of time. These start with seeds bred for flavour rather than for yield, are fully vine ripened, grow during long sunny days, are so tender they cannot survive long shipping, have been nurtured on mineral-rich glacial land, and planted in soils into which their gardeners regularly incorporate organic matter to nourish a vibrant soil life.

In short: Locally grown tomatoes are the best.

With thousands of tomato varieties to choose from, aficionados frequently try to categorize tomatoes. None of these systems works all the time. But knowing a little about each of these will provide you with a better understanding in selecting the varieties you choose to eat, prepare, or grow.

Determinate or Indeterminate: Determinate varieties only grow a determined number of leaf nodes, and then produce all their flowers at once. The tomatoes therefore ripen all at once. This type of plant is preferred by commercial growers because the short plants require no staking and are suitable for efficient machine harvesting. Indeterminate varieties continue growing indefinitely while producing flowers after every other leaf node. The tomatoes steadily ripen throughout the season. For unblemished, superior-tasting fruit, these should be pruned and staked. Small-scale growers prefer these because they provide a steady supply.

Early, Mid, or Late Season: Most varieties abort their flowers when the temperature falls below 15°C. Early-season varieties are selected to have blossoms that tolerate colder springtime nights and therefore produce earlier-ripening fruit. The fruits are usually smaller and there is not an extensive selection. Mid-season tomatoes are best adapted for our Southern Ontario climate. Late-season tomatoes are usually very large (over one pound each) and, when ready to harvest prior to the onset of cool weather, have terrific flavour and fascinating colours.

Single or double flowers: Beefsteak tomatoes start as double flowers that produce two fruits which grow into each other. This is a quick way to produce extra-large tomatoes. Most tomatoes start from single flowers. Many of the older, open-pollinated varieties, especially the potato leaf, tiny currant tomatoes and the beefsteaks, cross pollinate more easily. So it might be best to obtain seeds for these from a professional seedsman.

Open Pollinated or F1 Hybrids: Prior to the 1950s, most tomato varieties were open pollinated, meaning they produced their own true-to-type seed which could be maintained by the gardener. Superior tasting and better growing varieties were the ones which succeeded in being shared between gardeners. In the ’50s, seed breeders began selling proprietary crosses of selected open-pollinated varieties. These exhibited “hybrid vigour,” which increased yields, disease resistance, and shipping durability. High yield, rather than flavour, was the priority. Since they could not be easily copied, the seed companies also created a steady new market of returning gardeners.

Reds or Yellows: Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century tomatoes were typically yellow or golden in colour. (Did you ever wonder why the Italian word for tomato is pomodoro? This “golden apple” sure sounds yellow to me.) Red was developed because it has more ornamental appeal. There has been considerably more breeding with red tomatoes than with any other colour. Reds are kin to the pink and purple (a.k.a. black) varieties. Yellows are kin to the orange and green varieties. People with sensitive stomachs often prefer yellow varieties because they are generally less acidic.

Potato Leaf or Regular Leaf: Some (usually older) varieties sport large, potato-like leaves. The best known of this type is Brandywine with its unique Burgundy wine flavour notes. But just to confuse things, the original Brandywine was a tender-skinned pink variety very prone to splitting. There is a yellow version (technically a sport) that has similar flavour but poor yields. Several red versions carrying this moniker lack the distinctive flavour. But one called Sudduth’s Strain (now from Seed Savers) has fewer splits yet retains much of the revered true Brandywine flavour.

Globular or Oblate: Most tomatoes grow in a smooth, round, globular shape. Beefsteaks typically have a flattened, round, oblate shape. Others have a long tubular shape. These can be as short as the plum – “sauce” varieties – or the very long, easy-to-slice “sausage” varieties. There are pear-shaped varieties formerly called “fig” because they would be poached in sugar syrup and then canned for later use as “northern figs.” There are even a few with a hollow seed cavity, like a pepper; others have attractive fluted surfaces or fuzzy “peach” skins.

HISTORICAL VARIETIES

Tomato varieties do not go very far back in history. It was not until the 1830s that Europeans and North Americans finally lost their fear of eating tomatoes. It was not until the 1850s that we finally became seriously interested in eating tomatoes. Most modern tomatoes are derived from Alexander Livingston’s developments and promotions in the 1870s.

Varieties popular prior to his introductions are now mostly extinct. However, the genetics of one may still be available. Crimson Cluster (red with linear yellow speckles) is thought to be a parent of the still available Tigerella (red with yellow stripes). In the 1980s, this English favourite was crossed with Evergreen (green flesh with yellow skin) to give us Green Zebra. This is normally classed as an heirloom but is, in fact, one of the newest distinct varieties now available. Every year Cookstown Greens grows about a thousand Green Zebra plants. They exhibit their heritage by providing two plants which produce delicious red fruits with linear yellow speckles. Might these be relatives of the Crimson Cluster of yore?

There are many thousands of “heirloom” tomato varieties currently listed in the world’s seed catalogues. There is not space in this article to recommend specific varieties. Just start reading lists and descriptions in many catalogues, books and websites to select those that strike your fancy. Then start growing.

QUALITY GROWING

With our short growing season, it is best to start with healthy bedding plants. For unusual heirloom varieties you might need to grow your own from seed (although there are now a number of reputable heritage-seed-savers in our region who sell organic heirloom bedding plants). The most important trick is to avoid starting your seeds too early. An effect of global warming is that we cannot rely on steady warm (above 15°C) nights until about June 10. So start your seeds after April 10.

Plant your bedding plants in your most fertile soil in your sunniest and breeziest location. Tomatoes require well-balanced fertility, full sun and enough air movement to keep the leaves dry. Unlike nearly any other plant, it is actually beneficial to plant these with the stem well below the surface. This will provide a head start for deep roots, plus give the leaves a chance to acclimate to outdoor heat and wind.

If you have determinate plants, you can grow them in a cage. (Choose the jumbo-size cages because the regular size is just too small and flimsy.) Do not prune determinates. If you have indeterminate plants (the most-available type), you will need to provide something for them to climb. Tying them to a stake is the traditional method. You will also need to prune these indeterminates by nipping off each shoot as it starts growing at every other leaf node.

Tomatoes do well in either dry or wet conditions, but they do require the moisture to be constant. If you are growing outside, you can prepare them for rainy weather by keeping the soil constantly damp. If they are growing under a porch roof, it is best to let them become accustomed to being rather dry.

There are not many pests while the young plants are vigorously growing. Little green aphids are a sign you have too much fertility. Leaching with a heavy watering should remove the excess nitrogen this pest is looking for. Hornworms, a scary-looking 4-inch caterpillar, can chomp through young tomato plants very quickly. Handpick, then stomp on them. (Sometimes this is a cruel world.)

In early August the spores of late blight start blowing into our gardens. This is when you need to keep the leaves dry. If they are steadily wet for more than twelve hours, your leaves can become infected with blight. This is why you planted them in full sun and near a breeze. A gentle shake and a window fan aimed at your plants can help to quickly dry them in order to prevent infection. However, once they become infected, there is nothing you can do to stop the leaves from dying.

Pluck off the tomatoes only after they have fully changed colour. If they are still a little green, gently ripen them on a warm shelf out of the sun. If you cannot use them right away, do not put them into the refrigerator. After only a few hours in the fridge, the texture of tomatoes becomes mealy and the flavour dissipates. After all your good work, be sure to keep them out of the sun and at room temperature or no colder than 10ºC. (This applies to store-bought tomatoes, too.)

BLANCHING, PEELING AND SEEDING TOMATOES

Bring a medium saucepan filled halfway with water to a boil; reduce the heat to a simmer. Have a large bowl of ice water ready. Cut out the stem end of each tomato (a tomato-coring tool is ideal for this). Make a small, shallow “X” in the skin at the other end of each tomato. Using a slotted spoon, gently lower two tomatoes into the simmering water. Cook the tomatoes until the skin around the “X” begins to peel away from the flesh when prodded with a paring knife, about 30 seconds. Using the slotted spoon, remove the tomatoes to the bowl of ice water. Allow them to cool for about 1 minute, then remove from the water. Using a paring knife, peel the skin from each tomato, beginning at the end with the “X.” Repeat with the remaining tomatoes.

Cut each tomato in half lengthwise through the stem if using plum tomatoes, crosswise if using round tomatoes. Using your fingers, remove the seeds from each tomato half; discard the skin and seeds. Cut the tomatoes as required.

RECIPE

Pasta with Fresh Marinara Sauce

David Cohlmeyer is the founder of Cookstown Greens (www.cookstowngreens.com), which grows and delivers premium vegetables and salad greens to many of Toronto’s most critically acclaimed restaurants, hotels and caterers.

© Edible Toronto, Summer 2009
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