Tomatoes are one of the most anticipated and popular summer fruits that vegetable vendors offer at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. To everyone’s delight, they are finally in season. 

Customers have a wide variety of tomatoes to choose from at the market, from round red beefsteaks to colorful cherry and grape tomatoes and, most special of all, sweet and juicy heirloom tomatoes. 

All heirloom tomatoes share the same trait: they are open-pollinated or non-hybridized. This means that every fruit produces seeds that are “true to type” and can easily be saved for planting next year. Heirloom seeds come from worldwide, selected and saved for their special character and flavor. In contrast, hybrid tomatoes, intentionally bred from cross-pollinating two different cultivars, do not produce “true to type seeds” that can be saved. The newer “hylooms” (hybrid tomatoes that resemble heirlooms), most red beefsteaks, and many cherry and grape tomatoes are hybrids. 

From a grower’s standpoint, heirloom tomatoes are among the most challenging tomatoes to produce successfully. Unlike hybrids, heirloom tomato plants tend to be less productive and more prone to foliar diseases. The fruits are more likely to crack and deform because they have softer flesh and thinner skin. Nevertheless, farmers and home gardeners continue to grow heirloom tomatoes every year because they are so beautiful and delicious. 

Heirloom tomatoes come in a panoply of shapes, colors, and sizes, and each has a different story and flavor profile, as suggested by their names: Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Striped German, Speckled Roman, Aunt Ruby’s German Green, and Goldie to name just a few. Their flavors range from light and fruity to rich, deep, and complex. Every heirloom tomato is special.

The best way to enjoy heirloom tomatoes is the simplest: Slice up a variety and arrange them on a platter. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Enjoy with fresh bread to mop up the juices. This is the epitome of summer!

Ask your favorite vegetable vendors about the heirloom tomatoes they grow and love. Then try a variety to enjoy with family and friends at home. Your tastebuds will surely thank you.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open on Wednesdays from 3- 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at High Rock Park in Downtown Saratoga. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, where you can sign up for our weekly newsletter, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @SaratogaFarmersMarket.