Happy Boy Farms withholds irrigation once the tomato roots are established, which forces the plants to send their roots deeper into the soil and seek out water. What about Dry Farming?įarmers such as Joe Schirmer of Dirty Girl Produce employed dry farming by using minimal water to irrigate and relying on soil moisture from seasonal rainfall or one deep watering. While some argue that hybrids are more reliable and hardy than heirlooms, hybrids also have serious drawbacks because farmers must buy new seeds each year. Hybrid seeds, on the other hand, are created by cross-pollinating two different varieties to yield offspring with desirable traits from both parent plants, such as disease resistance, uniformity, and high yield-a phenomenon known as “hybrid vigor.” Early Girl, Sun Gold, and Juliet are just a few of the popular hybrid tomatoes. Their seeds can be saved and replanted with fairly consistent results, and they tend to be genetically diverse, making them more adaptable to different growing conditions. Heirlooms are varieties whose seeds have been saved by farmers and gardeners and passed down for generations, usually 50 years or more. Most people associate “heirloom” with big, juicy slicing tomatoes, but heirlooms come in all shapes and sizes. Heirloom vs. HybridĪt the farmers market, you’ll also noticed the diversity of heirloom tomato varieties, each one unique and tasty. During colder months, having greenhouses offers some control and predictability for farmers, but due to intensive labor and the use of energy, hothouse tomatoes make less sense in the summer months, especially when field-grown tomatoes are widely available. Their vine-ripened tomatoes hit the farmers market in early spring, providing a sweet taste of the warm season ahead.
Tomato Seasonality: Hothouse vs. Field-Grownįield-grown tomatoes are usually available at the farmers market June through October, though farms such as Peach Farm, Elston Family Farm, and Gavel’s Farm are able to extend the season by a couple months by growing tomatoes in hothouses. While lackluster store-bought tomatoes are available year-round (generally because they are transported from other parts of the world), farmers market tomatoes are only available when they’re in season. That means they have a shorter shelf life and you will need to handle them with care.
GREEN ZEBRA TOMATO BEEFSTEAK FULL
Supermarket tomatoes are also missing a gene that allows them to produce sugar, which makes them lack that sweet, juicy flavor.įarmers market tomatoes, on the other hand, are picked at peak ripeness and brought to the market when their flavor, juiciness, and nutrient value are at their full potential. Because they are picked, processed, and packaged before developing their full flavor, they often taste bland and mealy. Grocery store tomatoes are generally picked before they are fully ripe, so they can be transported long distances and stored for many days. Some of the key difference between locally grown farmers market tomatoes and those you find at the grocery store are ripeness, flavor, and variety. What Makes Farmers Market Tomatoes Special? So amid all the variety, which tomatoes do you pick and what do you do with them? Here are some tips to help you navigate this juicy dilemma and make the most of peak tomato season. Solid, striped, or speckled and in red, yellow, green, purple, and every shade in between, tomatoes present an overwhelming choices, while the names of the varieties are as intriguing as they are colorful: Black Prince, Early Girl, Mortgage Lifter, Green Zebra, Ivory Pear, and Pineapple.
With tomato season in full swing, there’s a lot to love about the rainbow of variety you can find only at farmers markets. From Brandywine to Green Zebra: A Farmers Market Guide to Tomatoes
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