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Friday, August 15, 2008

Krims and Cherokees

This is a ‘Black Krim’ heirloom tomato from my garden, and I have to admit, when I first saw it growing I was disappointed. How come it was green on top and brownish-red on the bottom? I now know that’s how it’s supposed to look, and you do eat the green.
The ‘Krim’ is Ukranian for Crimea. It’s often described as “mahogany-colored,” and while it’s a little strange looking, it is utterly delicious. It also has a thin skin that’s easy to slice if your knife is dull!
I’ve served it to a lot of company this summer and it’s always a hit, but people often ask why it’s called an “heirloom”? Good question.
Some folks like me define it as a tomato that’s been grown in traditional ways, including open pollination, by ordinary gardeners or farmers for a century, whose seeds are “true” and passed down from generation to generation. That’s pretty pure, isn’t it? Some think heirlooms pre-date all the hybrids that popped onto the scene in the 1950’s.

Whatever definition you use, try some if you haven’t already. These guys are delicious, fun to grow and interesting to learn about.
The pinkish ‘Brandywine’ is a popular one, though like some other heirlooms, it’s prone to cracking on top. In future, I hope to try ‘Mortgage Lifter’ and ‘Cherokee Purple,’ ‘cause I like the names. ‘Green Zebra” is also on the to-do list, even though it’s not actually an heirloom.
But who cares? With its yellow and green striped flesh, ‘Green Zebra’ is welcome in my heirloom patch - or on my table - any day.
Posted by Virginia Smith @ 10:20 AM  Permalink | 2 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:55 AM, 08/27/2008
    For the past two years I have planted Brandywine Heirloom tomatoes. This year the crop has not been prolific as well as they cracked really badly. Next year I would like to produce other types of heirloom tomatoes. My question is where else can I purchase heirloom plants other than Brandywine?
    — jkelly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:05 PM, 09/05/2008
    It seems that most of the local stores sell very few tomato varieties. I now shop online at Totally Tomato. They sell seeds and plants. I have never bought plants from them, but have had good luck with starting my own from seed. They have the largest selection of tomatoes that I've seen on the net. I've had problems with cracking in the past, so I look for more crack resistant varieties. My wife really likes Sun King.
    — mustangmax13


2 comments
About Virginia A. Smith
Ginny Smith, a Philadelphia native, worked as a reporter at newspapers in New York, Connecticut and Ohio – with six short months at the end of the Bulletin tossed in – before returning to Philadelphia in 1985 to join the Inquirer. Her favorite beats here have included Center City, roving around Pennsylvania (and getting paid for it!) and alternative medicine. She’s also been City Editor and Pennsylvania Editor. Ginny has been happily writing – and learning - about gardening fulltime since 2006. She’s won two silver medals of achievement from the national Garden Writers Association and in 2011, Bartram’s Garden honored her with its Green Exemplar award for her stories about “the region’s deeply rooted horticultural history, cultural attractions and bountiful gardens.”
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