Heirloom Tomato Varieties for 2010

Pictures and descriptions from Totally Tomatoes.

Amish Paste Tomato

Dates back to the turn of the last century, and is the best for sauces and canning. Its deep red fruits are large for canning types (about 8 oz.), with "real tomato" flavor. Not overly acidic.

Banana Legs

Very prolific and long-lasting. These bright yellow, pointed, banana-shaped fruits, 4" long by 1-1/2" in diameter, are meaty and low in acid, making them especially good for slicing into salads.

Black Plum Tomato

A very prolific Russian strain, whose brownish-gray fruits are so sweet and meaty that some prefer Black Plum to Roma for making sauces. Also excellent when used in salads or for drying. Oval fruits average 2 to 4 oz., and turn a deep mahogany-brown color at maturity. One of our best yielders for both fresh market and home use.

Cherokee Purple Tomato

A reliable producer of unusual, medium pink-purple fruits that appear brown in color, and average 8 to 12 oz., apiece. Fruits are round to oblate, with no cracking. Exhibits tolerance to mild drought as well as to common diseases.

Chocolate Cherry Tomato

Extremely flavorful, uniform, round fruits in trusses of 8, measure 1" in diameter. Fruits hold stems very well, don't crack and can be picked several days before completely mature and allowed to ripen off the vine without sacrificing quality. Great variety for the home gardener or for packing into pints for market.

Garden Peach Tomato

This unique heirloom looks very much like a small peach - it even has slightly fuzzy skin! Small, 2 oz., light-yellow fruits have a delicate, distinctive flavor that's light, clean and a little bit fruit-like. A prolific producer of juicy fruits that have excellent keeping quality. Introduced to American gardens in 1862.

Italian Giant Beefsteak Tomato

This blockbuster of a beefsteak was brought over from Italy over 80 years ago, and still rules the garden for sheer size, with some fruits growing larger than two fists! A deep red beefsteak-type, with flattened fruits averaging 16 oz. and 4" in diameter - meaty and delicious, yield after impressive yield.

Lemon Drop Cherry Tomato

These sunshine-yellow fruits have a pure, tart-sweet taste that stands up alongside the most robust salad ingredients. Heavy trusses of 3/4" fruits literally beg to be harvested and enjoyed.

Pineapple Tomato

Enormous, uniquely-patterned, yellow-red striped fruits will be the center of attraction. Beefsteak-type fruits easily grow to 5" and larger, and are orange-yellow with red streaks. Fruits have meaty flesh, mild flavor, and no green shoulders. Heavy foliaged plants produce good yields.

San Marzano Tomato

A little later than Roma, with superb flavor in slightly rectangular-shaped fruits, 3-1/2" x 1-1/2", that are bright red and hang in large clusters. Holds well on the vine and in storage. Extra-high solid content is perfect for canning.

Snowberry Cherry Tomato

Nicely rounded, 1-1/2 to 2 oz., firm fruits feature a creamy yellow color outside with a white inside, making this unique variety the closest thing to a pure white cherry available on the market today. Sturdy plants produce trusses of uniform fruits and are sweet and fruity with a typical tomato flavor.

Velvet Red Cherry Tomato

An Angora-type, with fuzzy, silvery-gray, dusty miller-type foliage and an excellent producer of 1" cherry tomatoes. Flavor is sweet and intense, packed into small, red, round fruits that make an attractive display against downy plants. Skins have a very faint fuzz, but not to the same degree as peach tomatoes. A choice variety.