No fruit on planet Earth is sexier than a tomato — the tomato God intended — with delicate flesh, a translucent center studded with seeds, in an array of colors. You think you know what a tomato tastes like until
No fruit on planet Earth is sexier than a tomato — the tomato God intended — with delicate flesh, a translucent center studded with seeds, in an array of colors. You think you know what a tomato tastes like until you taste an heirloom tomato.
Heirlooms were ripening on the vines long before agribusiness corporations developed commercial breeding programs. They brought flavor to summer back when family growers and farmers saved desirable seeds.
Grown for an industry that relies on shipability, the once gloriously lush and sweet tomato has since been reduced to hockey puck toughness and a cottony texture. Today tomatoes rarely come with a variety name on the crate they are packed in — most sport names with numbers, like the “5X6,” which is a large tomato that comes in a box that holds five tomatoes across and six down.
With the advent of agribusiness after World War II, the emphasis went from flavor to profit. Tomatoes were developed that could be picked green and mechanically harvested. The heirloom’s delicate meat and unusual shape make them poor candidates for commercial shipping. A nice appearance and a long shelf life were two considerations that influenced the diminution of flavor.
Take heart though, Kaua‘i is a place where farmers still have faces and tomatoes still have names. Earlier this year, two young Moloa‘a farmers planted their first crop of heirlooms with names like Great White, Brandywine and Black Prince. Heirlooms offer colorful and delicious diversity as an alternative to their anonymous post-war relatives.
Physical characteristics and flavors vary. Relinquish that familiar image of a crimson red tomato. Visualize instead green striped tomatoes, brownish-black tomatoes or giant golden orbs with a pink blush. Now you may be getting a glimpse of what a tomato’s true potential is.
Dylan Strong of Growing Strong Organics, knew he wanted to grow heirlooms when he first encountered the fruit while working on a farm in San Francisco.
“Before discovering heirlooms, I hated tomatoes,” he confessed.
Strong and fellow farmer Jaren Ramsey knew there were hurdles when it came to growing tomatoes on the island — fruit fly being at the top of the list. But the two refuse to be deterred and look at this first year of farming as a learning experience. Heirloom tomatoes are generally not very disease resistant and demand garden space because the vine needs to be heavily staked.
“The heat is our biggest challenge right now,” Strong said.
For the second crop being planted Ramsey and Strong are installing ventilation systems in their greenhouses. The two suspect heirlooms of being an ideal winter crop on Kaua‘i but say they plan to grow them year-round.
“We could grow hybrids and produce more tomatoes but our goal is to grow heirlooms,” he said.
Despite a steep learning curve, the two farmers are confident in their choice of crop.
“Growing heirlooms is like developing a recipe — it takes time to get all the ingredients worked out,” Ramsey said.
• Pam Woolway, food writer, can be reached at 245-3681, ext. 257 or pwoolway@kauaipubco.com
