Ranting about heirloom tomatoes

Quoting food writer Jane Black in today's WashPost, "Call me persnickety, but someone needs to take a stand here:  'Heirloom' is not synonymous with 'good.'"   And "The best tomato I ate last summer was not an heirloom tomato." And she quotes a disgruntled writer in Sociologia Rulalis - I must have let my subscription lapse - who calls them "bug-eaten, calloused, mottled and splitting tomatoes that may or may not taste good."

You get the idea.  Any rebuttals? Photo credit.

Comments

[Faith]

There is the whole GM problem, plus the ever monstrous raising of the control of seed and reproductive rights of new tomato varieties.

There are some heirloom tomatoes that are mostly good simply because they remind us of the days when food was food because it nourished us, and not necessarily because it was juicy and sweet and satisfied cravings. Always good to remember your roots and how hard people had to work to survive.

But there are other VERY delicious heirloom varieties that the writer had obviously not been acquainted with.

And then, I have had many a tasteless, mealy tomato that was a hybrid.

~Faith

[zephyr]

while it is true that the best tasting tomato I've ever eaten (it was from my own garden) was the heirloom called Persimmon, I've tasted a lot of heirloom tomatoes from farmer's markets and elsewhere that are mediocre. And, I have no problem admitting that there were years when my Persimmon tomatoes were not terrific.

I must also add: after sitting here and pondering this question for a few more minutes, I came to realize that it is also true that ALL of the best tasting tomatoes I've ever eaten were all heirlooms varieties.

There are many mighty fine "new" tomatoes that I've grown and enjoyed--the best being the not so new (don't think it's considered an heirloom) Carmello.

[Peter Hoh]

The best tasting tomato she had last summer may have been an heirloom that was not advertised as such.

[Amelia of Gradually Greener]

I am a big fan of several heirloom tomato varieties, and grow many in my garden. But I agree with the general point that choosing heirloom simply for the word heirloom is a little absurd. There are heirloom varieties that aren't really all that tasty (or just don't suit the taste of particular people). And not all hybrids are tasteless balls of styrofoam bred for transportation purposes by evil corporations.

I think maybe the writers quoted are objecting to both the fetishization of heirlooms as a category and the foodie orthodoxy that hybrids are always inferior.

[Joseph Tychonievich]

The thing that annoys me most about the whole "heirlooms are always better" concept is that it holds up progress in modern breeding. If people are sure without tasting that heirlooms are better than modern varieties, it makes it hard for breeders to market delicious new tomatoes, which kills the incintive for breeders to develop new tomatoes that taste better than the heirlooms (and yield more, have fewer disease problems, etc).

[Susan Hagen]

Carmello is a wonderful tomato. Around here in the Shenandoah Valley I wait for the late season heirloom German tomatoes. These don't seem to have names, they're just what the Mennonite farmers have been seed-saving from year to year, probably back to the Reformation. I had a BLT for dinner the other night with thick slices of these, dripping juice and flavor.

[jodi (bloomingwriter)]

I think there's room for both hybrids and heirlooms/heritage varieties. In my tomato plot, I have Black Krim, Caspian Pink (both old Russian type tomatoes with amazing flavour) and Sungold, one of the new F1 patio types that is sweet and prolific. How they taste also depends on how much sun and water we get in any given season.
The styrofoam nasty balls that are in grocery stores in winter? I'll eat them only as a very very last resort.
At least local greenhouses are moving to yearround tomato production, and a local greenhouse tomato beats a fieldgrown tasteless hybrid in winter anytime.

[www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawkMJN5HrfOgD67g9XvBoMrg8decK35_j-8]

Heirloom to me doesn't mean "good", it means "grown local and with care".

Heirloom tomatoes weren't picked green and stuck in a cooler a day or two until they were transported. Then gassed to ripen them up. Then set on a shelf for a couple days until Subway tried to serve them to me on my turkey sandwich.

Lucky for them they can't take that kind of treatment.

[Liisa]

I say fine, that's more heirloom tomatoes for me. I like being able to save seeds so that each year I don't have to spend a gazillion dollars to plant veggies. I like the fact that heirloom Koralik cherry tomatoes show up in my garden, basically the same tomato I originally planted. Just like my beloved pound puppy rescue mutt, I don't want tomatoes that have been bred. I just want an honest tomato.

[Peter Hoh]

Okay, now that the kids are no longer bugging me, I read the linked article and retract my earlier snide comment doubting her ability to recognize a non-heirloom.

Now I wish I had chosen a different snarky remark, like how print journalism isn't better than blog journalism just because it's in print somewhere.

In fact, in the past few years, I've take in many articles and columns in established newspapers only to be disappointed by the bland and mealy quality of the writing.

[Jay]

I grow heirlooms. The reason is because I am tired of buying seeds every year. Part of it is being cheap, part of it is being self-sufficient. I think a good gardener should eventually transition to collecting and planting their own seeds. It is part of the experience.

But I think hybrids have a bad name, just like non-organics have a bad name. Hybrids are a fun and unique experiment and can be very rewarding.

Growing heirlooms is not a moral issue and will not bring you salvation.

Happy gardening guys!

[frank@nycgarden]

What Amelia said.

Maybe we should pick up that ol' European model that says things taste this way or that way based on where they are grown. Wouldn't that be a disaster for crop commerce? Producers are familiar with this, but not yet widely for consumers of vegetables.

No, I'm sorry- I cannot eat those tomatoes, they're from NY's Honeoye soil. I prefer Indiana's Miami soil or maybe, NJ's Downer soil.

[commonweeder]

Labels are never a sure indicator of anything. Lots of things affect a tomato's flavor, the variety, the soil, amount of rain, the gardener and even invisible garden spirits. Not to mention our own personal taste preferences. All that aside, we do need heirlooms to keep a broad and deep gene pool, not for GMing, but to create hybrids that may become necessary as our climate changes.

[nobody]

Way to take things out of context. The author was not bashing all things heirloom. The author was not promoting GM. The author was pointing out that the current trend of obsessing over heirlooms has lead people to neglect the benefits of continued breeding and selection of plants that do well in the region. The author was promoting the efforts of state extensions (not for profit) to develop (not using GM) varieties that actually do well in the state. The heirlooms good/non heirlooms bad notion misses the reason that heirlooms are good.

Heirlooms are good because they tend to be adapted to the region they're from. They are good because they are bred for taste, not uniformity and shippability. But they came from somewhere: they came from people selecting plants that did well in their region and had qualities they liked. The notion that this process of selection is no longer possible and that we must cling to the past because it's necessarily better than anything we can breed now is misguided.

This year, I purchased heirloom pepper seeds through a national distributor. I bought them because the blurb said they were heirlooms from a guy who lives in Troy, NY. I live just across the river, so it was a sensible decision. I bought them because the seeds (from my mom, incidentally--almost heirloom) I brought with me from California really underperformed here. They've been selected for years to grow well as short-lived perennials in a climate that gets 9 inches of rain a year. These peppers I bought were actually one of the few heirlooms of any sort that have actually listed a breeding location in it's catalog blurb. Had there been no breeding location in the catalog blurb, a Californian could easily picked these out as one of the heirlooms from the catalog, assuming they'd be good because they were heirloom. Then they would wonder why the seeds bred for a short growing season and daily rains were underperforming. Had there been no local heirlooms available, it would have made much more sense to look into breeding work by my state extension, or by nearby state extensions.

By the way, I'm still growing plants descended from my mom's seeds. They are gradually adapting to the climate. The resultant peppers in no way resemble the peppers I used to eat as a kid.

[Jim]

Agree with what Amelia said..

And I can also add that over the last 20 years I've grown a few heirloom and OP tomatoes. My wife is of the opinion not a single one of them brought more taste to the table than her favorite, which is Better Boy, an F1 hybrid.

[Simon]

Simply, I would say "heirloom" is not synonymous with "good" but the reason some heirlooms are so good, is that they (generally) exist because of something straightforwardly good about how they taste. Non-heirloom varieties, in contrast, tend to be varieties selectively bred to look uniform and bright and to travel well and store a long time. If they taste good too, great, but that ain't what moves the produce.

Or so I think.

[Kathy J, Washington Gardener Magazine]

I'm judging a tomato taste challenge this Friday so I'm going to have to get back to you all on that. It will be blind test and is open to anybody and any tomato variety so we'll see who comes out on top.

[Kenoryn]

Although it's not the rule I do think of the general idea as being that modern tomatoes are often bred for their ability to last and be transported long distances easily and have a look that appeals to consumers, rather than for flavour and nutrition. However, I have always thought of the issue surrounding heirloom vs. not as being one of the promotion of biodiversity and genetic diversity, and that trying to breed a 'perfect' tomato rather than recognizing the differences and values in many types is the road to monoculture with its ominous potential ramifications. Anyway, heirloom varieties are often more interesting.

[suzq]

Isn't tomato growing something of a crap shoot, even in the best of years (which for many, this is not?)

So when starting out, geez, do yourselves a favor and plant one of a bunch of varieties--just to see what succeeds in your yard and thrives in your gardening style.

The tomato tent should be big enough for all of us.

[Ed Bruske]

By far the best tomato I have ever eaten is a Cherokee Purple, and it is an heirloom. Maybe Jane Black has never tried one.

[John]

Around here we have this big heirloom tomato taste off called Tomatopalooza. In fact it was just a few weeks ago. Every year a big bunch of people show up and bring armloads of tomatoes from their gardens (over 100 varieties). Everyone gets to taste as many as they want and even take seeds if there is something they can no longer live without. The best part is that my Cherokee Purple will be plated with some from other people's gardens and you can really taste the difference. Some years one type will be the best of the whole feast and in others it will be the worst. Weather and location have a lot to do with flavor.

The reason some store bought t'maters have lost their flavor is because they were stored or shipped too cool. Never let them get under 50 degrees otherwise you destroy the chemicals that give them that home grown snap.

Some people can't taste the difference between homegrown and store bought. Everyone's taste buds are not the same.

[Jennifer Jordan]

hi! i'm the writer with the sociologia ruralis article, and i just wanted to let you know i'm not a bit disgruntled about heirloom tomatoes! i love the good ones, but was just observing (like the sociologist that i am) that they vary in quality, and that there are certainly instances where less than stellar tomatoes go on sale for very stellar prices--but there is no question that great heirlooms are out there (especially in home gardens and at farmer's markets where you know your farmer and/or can get samples), and obviously quite beloved by gardeners, cooks, etc.!

[Justin Russell]

Rather than making the distinction between heirloom and non-heirloom we ought to be thinking more along the lines of commercial varieties versus varieties ideal for home growers.

The latter category will include heirlooms for reasons of flavour,texture, nostalgia, true to type seeds, genetic diversity and long cropping periods. Commercial growers keen to avoid crop failures and make maximum profits will obviously lean toward hybrids and GM, seeking attributes like marketability, transportability, and storage life.

As a keen Grow It Yourselfer heirlooms tick all the boxes for me, which is why I grow them. Simple as that really.

[mister anchovy]

Well geez, I've not tasted so many heirloom tomatoes as you all have, but I know some of them at least are really terrific. I think there are some orders of magnitude to get straight though. For instance, any tomato grown in somebody's backyard with care and love is likely going to be better than what you're going to buy at the grocery store. It hasn't been packed in a box and transported, sprayed with the bad nasties and so on. For a lot of gardeners, some of the hybrids will produce excellent tomatoes with few diseases and problems. I grew up in a family where my dad grew those hybrids and they were pretty darn tasty. All that said, these days I live in a house that has a very shady garden and I miss my home-grown tomatoes, so if you grow more than you can eat, and you'd like to pop over with a few of those delicious heirlooms, I'd be happy to taste test them for you.

[Wendy]

Absolutely a rebuttal.

If I do say so myself, my heirloom tomatoes are very attractive, though i've seen some very ugly, mottled, etc. ones at the farmer's market and elsewhere. In our family's taste test tonight, we found in order of faves for taste, texture, beauty, etc.:
1) Hillbilly heirloom (winner 2 years in a row)
2) the store bought ones
3) heirloom beefsteak (we found it mealy and just "gross")
The Cherokee Purple is usually a contender for taste, but for the second year in a row, ended up catfaced and had to drop out of the contest. Pics to be posted on my blog as soon as I get a chance.