Like to cook? In this forum, both amateur and pro chefs can share recipes, procedures and cooking tips and talk about local restaurant recipes.
User avatar
User

Steve Magruder

{ RANK }

Foodie

Posts

439

Joined

Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:57 am

Location

Louisville, KY - Iroquois/Auburndale area

Are store-bought heirloom tomatoes really heirloom?

by Steve Magruder » Sun Apr 17, 2011 10:38 am

Probably a dumb question, but I thought somebody here would know. Let's say I bought a Bonnie brand Brandywine plant. Is it the real thing?
Steve Magruder
Metro Foodist
User avatar
User

Carol C

{ RANK }

Foodie

Posts

484

Joined

Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:26 pm

Re: Are store-bought heirloom tomatoes really heirloom?

by Carol C » Sun Apr 17, 2011 10:00 pm

I honestly don't know but if I wanted to be sure that I had a Brandywine (or whatever), I would contact John Hagan who is a member of the Forum. Also, he is at Bodega farmers market and also at the Bardstown Rd. market.
User avatar
User

John Hagan

{ RANK }

Foodie

Posts

1416

Joined

Wed Aug 29, 2007 6:38 pm

Location

SPENCER CO. Lake Wazzapamani

Re: Are store-bought heirloom tomatoes really heirloom?

by John Hagan » Tue Apr 19, 2011 9:45 am

All heirloom plants are open pollinated(google it for a better explanation),but basically it means the plant requires a nature method of pollination by insects or wind etc. Also a open pollinated plant will produce seed with the same parent plants characteristics.Not all open pollinated plants are heirloom though. It is generally accepted that if a cultivar is over a hundred years old it is considered an heirloom. You can still find many open pollinated varieties that are coming out every year. A hybrid plant is created through an artificial pollination process and will not produce a true/viable seed. The brandywines you mentioned are an interesting issue in themselves. I know of many many varieties of brandywine tomatoes. I grow pink,purple,red and other bradywines. It is likely the variety you bought could be a "true" heirloom or it could be a more recent open pollinated variety. Either way Im sure it will be great tasting tomato. The only thing that might make it taste better is if you sourced your plant from a local grower as opposed to a mass shipper mega grower like Bonnie. I really dont like them for the problems they caused a couple of years ago. They knowingly sent out truck loads of plants all up and down the east coast that were infected with blight. It caused many large scale commercial tomato farms major problems. It almost doubled the cost of wholesale tomatoes out east. Buy local.
The tall one wants white toast, dry, with nothin' on it.
And the short one wants four whole fried chickens, and a Coke.
User avatar
User

Steve P

{ RANK }

Foodie

Posts

4848

Joined

Sun Sep 23, 2007 10:18 pm

Re: Are store-bought heirloom tomatoes really heirloom?

by Steve P » Tue Apr 19, 2011 9:53 am

John Hagan wrote:They knowingly sent out truck loads of plants all up and down the east coast that were infected with blight..


I did not know this. Interesting.
Stevie P...The Daddio of the Patio

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 17 guests

Powered by phpBB ® | phpBB3 Style by KomiDesign