There are just so many excellent heirloom tomatoes available that it’s truly a tough task narrowing down all the choices! If you’ve had a hard time picking which ones to plant, take a look at this list of 10 delicious old-timers. I picked these tomatoes for a variety of colors, tastes and forms, as well as for relative ease of growing and prolific qualities. Pick up some seeds or starter plants today and get growing a bounty of the best tomatoes you’ve ever eaten from your garden!
Although they’re grown mostly for the appearance, Yellow Pears are also quite tasty.
Photo Credit: Burpee Seed Co.
Brandywine, Red, is known for its high yield, ease of growing and its starling burst of flavor with each bite!
Photo Credit: Burpee Seed Co.
Cherokee Purple is one good-looking tomato, both on the vine and sliced up for a tomato salad.
Photo Credit: Burpee Seed Co.
Amish Paste. Some experts challenge whether Amish Paste is actually a paste tomato at all, but what they don’t challenge is its ability to yield a good crop. The medium-red, slightly longish fruits are a bit juicier than your standard paste tomato, and they’ve got more seeds than most of its kind. The fruit grows in clusters of 2-4, and the habit is indeterminate. This is a family heirloom, and as its name suggests, it originated in the US.
Black from Tula. Part of the fun of growing heirlooms is impressing your friends with the unusual colors these old varieties are known for. So what could be more of a conversation piece than a black tomato? Here’s one of the tastiest of the oddly colored varieties – not actually black, but close to chocolate. Of Ukrainian origin, this family heirloom tomato produces fruit that’s richly flavored with a tinge of sweetness. Indeterminate plants are moderate as far as yield and produce medium-size fruit in singles or groups of 2-3.
Brandywine, Red. A high-yielding family heirloom, Brandywine may have originated in Pennsylvania. Fruits are bright red and round, and they have a rich flavor with a hint of sweetness. Tomatoes can be as large as a pound. Plants are indeterminate with heavy foliage, and fruit grows in clusters of 4-6.
Cherokee Purple. This tomato delivers wonderful taste, as well as the “wow” factor. The pink to purple tomatoes are 6-12 ounces and grow in clusters of 2-4. Tomatoes have a rich, full-bodied taste that heirloom lovers say is like no other tomato. Cherokee Purple is indeterminate, with a moderate to high yield. A family heirloom, it’s believed to have been grown by the Cherokee Indians.
Jaune Flammée. This smallish tomato is striking in color, with a bright orange skin and red flesh. It’s a tangy tomato that delivers a pleasant jolt to the taste buds. Tomatoes are larger than cherry-size and grow in clusters. A high-yielding, indeterminate plant, this family heirloom originated in France.
Opalka. If you want to grow at least one heirloom for its unusual shape, try Opalka. The long, red fruits resemble chili peppers. A paste tomato, it’s characterized by a distinctive, somewhat sweet flavor (most paste tomatoes, by contrast, tend to be relatively bland). A high-yielder, Opalka produces clusters of 2-5 fruit. Its habit is indeterminate. Developed in Poland, this family heirloom makes great sauce and, like a true paste tomato, produces few seeds. (Unfortunately, that also means it’s hard to save seeds for replanting.)
Polish C. Another Polish family heirloom, Polish C produces a tomato with a robust taste that really enlivens a salad. Beefsteak size (around 1 pound), the very pink fruit grows in clusters of 2-3. Indeterminate plants produce moderate yield. This tomato isn’t known to have exhibited blossom end rot.
Riesentraube. This name in German means “giant bunch of grapes,” and the description is quite accurate. This cherry-size tomato is one of the most prolific of heirlooms. Stalks abound with hundreds of flowers that mature into clusters of 20-40. The taste is much fuller than most cherry tomatoes – similar to that of a beefsteak. Plants are indeterminate. A family heirloom, it was grown extensively in Germany, but it was also known in the Philadelphia area in the 19th century.
White Queen. Why on earth, you ask, did growers need to hybridize a white tomato? Because they could, I guess. But regardless of how the color strikes you, be advised this is one tasty tomato. There are other white varieties available, but White Queen rules with its sweet, refreshing taste. (Some cooks like to amaze their guests with a tomato sauce made of White Queen.) A high-yielding plant of indeterminate habit, it produces medium-size fruit that ranges from white to cream to a pale yellow. They grow in clusters of 3-5. A commercial heirloom, White Queen originated in the US.
Yellow Pear. This trendy tomato is in high demand in fancy restaurants – admittedly more for its looks than taste. The pear-shaped fruits are a brilliant yellow that look great in salads, although the taste tends to be mild. An indeterminate plant, Yellow Pear yields an enormous number of tomatoes, growing in clusters of 7-9. Its origin isn’t known.
And there you have it – 10 tasty heirlooms to try this season. Your garden can be filled with old-time goodness, and I guarantee your taste buds will thank you!
