Heirloom Tomatoes

I've been interested in historical gardens for a while now, so recently while grocery shopping at Earth Fare, I decided to buy a couple three heirloom tomato plants and then try to find out the history of the plants. Before I get into all that, I think maybe I should explain the term "heirloom" in reference to vegetables:

Heirloom tomatoes are open-pollenated cultivars that reproduce true-to-seed. In other words, the seeds of the plants will produce plants very similar to their parents. There is some debate as to the other criteria used to classify heirlooms. Some sources say that a variety must have been in cultivation for at least 50 years and contain an element of folklore. I, personally, like this definition, although it discounts at least one of the varieties I bought. In any case, heirloom tomatoes are not genetically modified and very often don't look like your typical large, red beefsteak tomato. Now, on to my Heirlooms.

There was a limited selection at Earth Fare the day I spontaneously decided to buy the tomatoes. There were about six options. I chose three varieties: 'Green Zebra', 'Patio Orange' and 'Large Red', for some variation in color. I hadn't planned on having tomatoes in my garden this year, since last year my garden spot proved to be to hard for the 'maters. But I had two pesky Black Walnut trees taken out of my yard which opened up some sun and saved my plants from the nasty hormones those trees secrete. So far, the plants seem fine.

Once the plants were in the ground, I began researching, looking for the "folklore" of my particular varieties. The first one I found, 'Green Zebra' was pretty bland. I only hope the tomatoes themselves are not. 'Green Zebra' is, by my definition, technically not an heirloom. It is an open-pollenated variety that reproduces true to seed, but was introduced by a tomato breeder named Tom Wagner in 1983. The tomato is a tart, green tomato with green and yellow stripes.

Next I looked up 'Patio Orange' which was listed by several seed catalogs as an heirloom of compact size, commonly grown in patio gardens where space is of short supply, but I could not find a single historical note about this tomato. No date of origin, nothing.

Lastly, I checked out 'Large Red', which I knew from the sign at the store had a long history in the US. Apparently, according to a book published in 1865 by Fearing Burr, this was the first and only tomato variety in cultivation from 1830 to 1865. It was primarily grown by the Shakers in Hancock, Mass before the first great waves of tomato madness hit the US. This classic tomato is quite large, approximately 2 inches tall by 4-5 inches wide, with deep ribs like a pumpkin. This heirloom is still highly prized for its robust flavor. Can't wait to eat them.