Restaurant heirloom tomato salad - oh, those...

[supergirl]

I've been waiting not-very-patiently for something non-cherry to ripen, which will be in the next couple of days. Last week, I just couldn't wait and got the heirloom tomato salad w/fresh mozzerella and pesto when out with the girls. It was really, really tasty. I got it again on this week's outing, thinking about how next week I will have my own ripe tomatoes and won't need to eat theirs. When the waiter brought it, I asked if he knew what type of tomatoes they were. "Heirlooms." "Thank you. Yes, I saw that, but do you know what kind?" "Those two are yellow, and that one is red." Oh. That wasn't quite what I meant, but I let it go at that. FWIW, the "red" one looked more like a black one, but I thought the whole thing was pretty funny.

[Reign]

Yep. You have to let those things go and pick your battles.

A few weeks ago a lady came by to introduce herself. So & So told her that I grow heirlooms too and she was excited to meet someone else that grows them. I ask what she is growing. "A few of each."
I look confused and she looked disappointed. Obviously I was not going to be worth bonding with. "A few reddish and a few yellow....You didn't know they come in yellow?"

DH said he could see my mind forming and discarding possible responses looking for something that didn't sound crappy.

[bigcheef]

I can relate Reign,

Just today the wife of our COO stopped by to drop off some ripe tomatoes to his AA. I happened to be talking to the AA when she came in so I told her I had really gotten into growing heirloom’s this year. Her reply was, “Oh yes, Brandywine’s!”

Evidently this was her first year to grow anything besides a hybrid so I held back on my response, discarding the ones that came to mind much like you describe. Instead I offered to give her some seeds. I plan to set her up with a good selection of some of the more obscure varieties I have in my collection, just to break her in right.

I have a feeling she’ll be hooked next year!

RIK

[billbird2111]

You know, I'm just getting started at this. If you would have brought a Brandywine Tomato to me four years ago (heck, make that three), I would have looked at you as if you'd just landed from Mars.

My world was limited to the starter plants I found at the local drugstores.

It wasn't until my wife suggested we try something new, did I finally discover this wonderful world. When she first picked out a Green Zebra plant I nearly divorced her! No sane person would grow a green tomato!

From that day -- to right now. I have the Brandywines, Cherokee Purples, Persimmon and a Peppermint plant that everyone seems to want seeds from.

In pots, I have Livingston's Paragon and Golden Queen.

I guess the message I'm sending here is to be patient with people who don't understand. I certainly didn't. Now I'm nuts about it. But, I don't scoff at those who don't understand. I do my best to educate when given the opportunity.

[pooklette]

I still laugh when I remember my first 'heirloom discussion' at work. Many of my co-workers have been gardening for far longer than I have and they've taught me a lot over the last few years. That said, last year when I excitedly announced that I was trying out a few heirloom tomato varieties, I was stunned when my comment was met with blank stares.

"What's an heirloom tomato?" They ask.

I tried to give them a rough definition of heirloom and then proceeded to describe some of my more 'unusual' varieties.

"Purple tomatoes? Um...maybe a little Miracle Grow would help..." One responds in horror.

"No, no, no. That sounds like BER to me." Another comments with a knowing look.

"But my tomatoes aren't supposed to be red!" I explain. "I'm growing some pink ones, black ones, a few yellows and a bicolored one...but no red."

At this point they're looking at me like I've been inhaling too much fertilizer and I realize that they will probably have me committed if I mention anything about my potato leaf plants. *sigh* There are some days when it's just simpler to smile and nod.

[JBinKC]

I gave out a lot of my plants to co-workers. I tried to explain Cherokee Purple to them, One even told me no he didn't want people to think he was poisoning them <LOL> The ones that did get Cherokee Purple REALLY LOVE it though.

The funny one is the Striped Roman. He said he hoped his neighbor didn't look in his garden they would wonder what he was doing to his tomatoes for them to have those weird looking stripes like that

Of course I been taking sliced tomatoes to work for lunch and making sure I have plenty for everyone. They love them no matter what they are.

[supergirl]

billbird - I know what you mean. I see your point, and I was trying to be patient (though will confess probably did not succeed entirely). I'm sure there are still a lot of varieties that I wouldn't recognize now, since it's only my second year. If I'd been at a friend's house, and she said, "Oh, I got these at the Farmer's Market, but I don't remember what kind they are," I probably would have been curious, but understood. But at a restaurant? In the San Francisco Bay Area, which prides itself on fresh, local ingredients? A restaurant that indicates the local and the organic wines on the wine list? I just expected him to do better than "those two are yellow, and that one is red."

On the bright side, I think I'll have the first ripe tomatoes of my own tomorrow!

[jerseyjohn61]

All great and funny stories so far that just about
all of us can relate to.

The Tomato is prehaps the most overly productive
yet under-realized, mis-appreciated vegetable in
our culture. Its like an elder stepchild that is just
assumed to do its duty and remain nameless.
Lacking any individual indentity.

As I stated on an other thread, a neighbor who
is a retired N.Y.C. chef from some top eateries,
claims that his restaurants had been paying big
bucks for heirloom toms for some time.
He has told me that they came in all colors and
shapes but had no idea of variety names.
Brandywine was a name that the waiters
tossed about as a generic catch-all.

He grew to adore all of these toms, but knew
them only by color, size and shape.

However, when asked about hot peppers, this
chef can rattle off about 20 different varieties
and his preference of use for each. AND he likes
tomatos much, much more than peppers-GO FIGURE.

A friend of my sister is a true tomato freak.
He has been known to go into restaurants with
his own tomatos and insist that the salad or dish
be prepared with the toms that he has provided.
This has often led to some ticklelish situations
with the staffs and makes for great laughs later.
When he found out that I had started growing
heirlooms a few years back, he began showing
up on the hottest sunday afternoons to help
weed or see if some vine needed tying back.
Ya gotta love a fan like that and am only to
happy to feed his tomato addiction....JJ61

[WVTomatoMan]

"Those two are yellow, and that one is red."
"Oh really I would've never guessed", would've been my response, but I'm a certified smart ... aleck.

This morning I asked a co-worker how the plants were doing that I gave him. He said they were doing well and he was getting tomatoes. Then he said, "those Brandywines aren't turning red, they're pink looking." I'm glad I didn't give him any Green Giants!

Randy

[valereee]

I bought this, labelled simply "Heirloom," at the local produce market:







So now I am sitting here staring at it, mouth watering, wondering if it's ripe. Without an ID, I have no clue. I want a BLT! But I don't want to cut this 'mater -- which cost me like $3! -- if it could benefit from another day or so.

Any clues or advice?

Val

[feldon30]

Does the skin yield to gentle pressure in several places?

I don't know that even with a picture the tomato gurus will be able to identify it. It could just as easily be Lucky Cross as Marvel Stripe. Bicolors.

Looks very nice. Save the seeds, Luke!

[valereee]

The reddish areas yield, the yellow areas and green areas are firm. Maybe I'll wait a few days and see if the green areas yellow up. Not much smell of ripe tomato to it, either.

Man, it's hard to wait, though! I may go back to Pipkin's (my local produce market) and see if they have any more that look/feel riper.

[melody]

Don't let a bi-color go too long...they're not as good keepers as the red or pink varieties....no more than 2 or 3 days for this tomato in my opinion. They'll get soft spots or go mealy on you...
That said...a well grown bi-color is absolute heaven as far as taste goes...I'm a fiend when it comes to them..., but they are definitely the most variable when it comes to taste.

[valereee]

Melody, I broke down and made myself a BLT and you're right, it was WONDERFUL! Definitely ripe, could have probably eaten it yesterday.

[billbird2111]

Originally Posted by valereee

Melody, I broke down and made myself a BLT and you're right, it was WONDERFUL! Definitely ripe, could have probably eaten it yesterday.

That looks a lot like a Watermelon Beefsteak. I have them growing on the vine at the moment, but haven't been lucky enough to snag a ripe one yet.

However, it looks suspiciously like a Watermelon Beefsteak that I purchased just last summer.

My first big, red Brandywine went to the production of three BLT's (with turkey bacon, of course). That taste just brought tears to my eyes.