Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Heirlooms

What kind of tomatoes do you eat, have you tried the Heirlooms? I just read in the paper that Heirlooms taste better and are more nutritious. Apparently, the big red pumped up tomatoes that are specially bred do not take up as much nutrition from the soil. But the Heirlooms are kind of the original tomatoes, only bred from seed and not messed with in any way. To be considered an Heirloom, a tomato must have three things: It has to grow from seed saved from the plant, the seeds must have been available for over 50 years, and it must have it's own folklore. So they cost a bit more, but are worth it for the taste and added nutrients. I guess the more ugly and less perfect it looks, the better it is!!!


"The Lord does not look at things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
1 Samuel 16:7

37 comments:

Joanne said...

I usually go for the organic plum tomatoes, but now that I read your post I will try the heirloom.
Blessings, Joanne

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

Yum Yum Yummy, these look awesome. If you harvest any of the seeds, I will be glad to purchase some from you.

Reanaclaire said...

I take the normal orange in color ones.. and lately i bought those mini sized tomatoes. they look like cherries, only difference is that they are orange in color...

SquirrelQueen said...

Those are some great looking heirlooms, the ones in your header are gorgeous.

I buy heirloom tomatoes at the farmers' market. They do taste better than the ones at the supermarket, a lot better. I would rather have heirloom or home grown tomatoes than anything that is force grown in a greenhouse.

Have you tried them Ginny?

Hootin Anni said...

I must 'fess up....I've never ever heard of these, let alone seen them. They look more like a gourd. LOL More tasty? I just can't imagine anything that tastes better than a big boy or early girl species of home grown tomatoes.

But, I must go check them out at the plant nursery sometime next Spring.



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From the Kitchen said...

We eat those beautiful, ugly, delicious tomatoes all summer long. I feel sad this time of year knowing they'll soon be unavailable for many months! Tomato
sandwiches, here I come while you last.

Best,
Bonnie

George said...

I can't begin to tell you how happy it made me to read "the more ugly and less perfect it looks, the better it is". Thanks for giving me hope!
I'll need to keep an eye out for heirloom tomatoes.

Judy Royal Glenn said...

Are the other colored ones ripe like the red one? I have never seen them!

Sharon said...

I was given some, years ago, plants, I mean. They didn't produce well and none of the family wanted them. They tasted fine to me, guess they couldn't get past the odd color and shape.

Anonymous said...

I have not tried these yet but they sound wonderful!

Anonymous said...

These look real good! I grow tomatoes every year and I harvest them around March-May. But the rest of the year I buy whatever's available. None of them look as fancy as heirlooms though.

Nikki (Sarah) said...

perfect verse for this post and who knew tomatoes could be so ugly and taste so good.

Anonymous said...

My husband grew heirlooms for years. They are so much better. Their shelf life is not as long. Funny thing, when I would take a plate full of sliced tomatoes, red, green, yellow, orange and even white heirlooms, people would eat mostly red. They did not know what they were missing by tasting some delicious ones. My favorite was Cherokee Purple. Yes, it was dark purple. Enjoyed the beautiful picture.
Jean in Memphis

Remington said...

They certainly look good!

Unknown said...

I think ours are Beefsteak, but we'll eat any tomato off the vine.

I asked Sandie @ Chatty Crone to give you my comment entries for her giveaway ... good luck! Hope yu win.

Have a beautiful day ~
TTFN ~
Hugs,
Marydon

Lynn said...

Don't know what kind of tomatoes we eat, lol. Would think beefsteak as they are large and round. We eat our tomatoes sliced and eat a lot of them. I knew about Heirlooms but have not seen them in years, but then perhaps I never looked for them either. Great capture Ginny of scripture and "ugly tomantoes". You know the funny part is, I like the look of those Heirlooms, the ridges have texture. Beauty in the eyes of the beholder...
Blessings,
Lynn

Reena said...

We love heirloom tomatoes! We call them "ugly" tomatoes! Great pics of them Ginny.

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Adore heirloom tomatoes. The Cherokee Purple is my favorite. I am having a hard time letting go of summer. I could eat a good tomato for every meal all year long.
Sam

MadSnapper said...

i was thinking pumpkin tomatoes when the header opened. awesome shot in the header. i love tomatoes and have never eaten one of these. never even seen one before. looks yummy.

Anonymous said...

Hi Ginny, Wonderful group of heritage or heirloom tomatoes! I planted a foursome of beefsteak and early girl tomatoes and had a good harvest considering that the plants were in a raised bed in my front lawn. Have a super good day today! Nice verse with today's post ,by the way!

Rose said...

Well, I had Better Girl, Early Goliath, Brandywine, and supersonics this year...they were all good, but some of the brandywines I sure did like the best...

Marie said...

Beuatiful header! I don't eat tomatoes, unless it tomato soup or sauce. These look yummy though!

Marie said...

BEAUTIFUL! I need to slow down. :)

Shug said...

I do like tomatoes (A whole LOT) I have never seen a tomato like this...They certainly are pretty. Think I'll look for these next year to grown..
Hugs ginny
shug

Ruth Hiebert said...

Taste is everything in a tomato.These guys don't had much going on in the looks department,but I bet they were good.

Stephanie V said...

Are they any more nutritious than the ones we grow in our own garden? In any case, garden-grown are always the most delicious.

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

So extraordinarily beautifully unique. We're havin' out annual BLT's tonight. I only allow myself bacon once a year and tonight's the night baby!!! MMMMMMmmm~

Have a blessed day sweetie!

Chatty Crone said...

I have eaten heirloom tomatoes and I have to tell you they taste great - got some from Whole Foods.

And they are so pretty aren't they?

Love,
sandie

LV said...

I will eat just about any tomato. I have not had any like this tho.

Ann said...

when I first saw the pictures I thought they were gourds. I've never heard of those. How interesting.

Doris Sturm said...

I used to think those wrinkled tomatoes were an accident/freak of nature. I never knew they were meant to look like that. Guess you could call it a Shar Pei tomato? I love home grown the best, but if I can't have those, I love the vine ripened in the store that are the most expensive and if I don't have enough money for them, I'll get the little Italian variety - I really am a big tomato fan :-)

Regina said...

Generally I purchase them either at the farmers or open market or a couple of stores from local growers. The others are awful..hard, pale and tasteless by the time they get over here.
These look yummy (just missed a sale on them yesterday).
I've grown some but never was a big fan of tomatoes until I realized it had something to do with the way their often prepared. So I cut them small for salads and enjoy them in tuna sandwiches with onions and of course salsa.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

They look so beautiful, Are you starting your own Heirlooms too?

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Moved house on the weekend, no internet, I am in the library checking my email after 1 week of no emails. Renting house until we can buy. This is very near to my school. and 5 mins to the beach.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Ginny, I'm late with this post since we were gone all day yesterday... I truly don't know much about tomatoes --but I do know that I love any home-grown Summer tomatoes. THEN--I can't eat them in the stores during the winter...

Not sure I've ever eaten a Heirloom Tomato...

Hugs,
Betsy

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Heirloom tomatoes are usually very delicious..and hard to find. You found some good examples, Ginny! Did you sbve their seeds to try to grow them next year yourself?

DawnTreader said...

I would have taken most of those for pumpkins!

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