Heirloom tomatoes are varieties that, due to unparalleled eating qualities, have been passed down through generations of growers. Heirlooms fall into four categories: commerical, family, created, and mystery. Here at Riverside Farm we have several varieties of Heirloom Tomato plants to choose from.
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| Heirloom Tomatoes |
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- Commercial Heirlooms: open-pollinated varieties introduced before 1940, or varieties that have been in circulation more than 50 years.
- Family Heirlooms: seeds that have been passed down for several generations through a family.
- Created Heirlooms: the crossing of two known parents (either two heirlooms or an heirloom and a hybrid) and de-hybridizing the resulting seeds for however many years/generations it takes to eliminate the undesirable characteristics and stabilize the desired ones - sometimes as many as 8 years or more.
- Mystery Heirlooms: varieties that are a product of natural cross-pollination of other heirloom varieties.
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| Cherokee Purple Heirloom Tomato |
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| Brandywine Pink Heirloom Tomato |
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| Boxcar Willie Heirloom Tomato |
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Cherokee Purple are a large, dark purple heirloom tomato from Tennessee and are rumored to have started with Cherokee gardeners. The tomato offers a rich, full flavor, and is often compared to Brandywine.
The Brandywine Pink tomato is a large pink beefsteak-style tomato and is generally considered among the best-tasting tomatoes available.
Our Box-Car Willie variety features a smooth, reddish-orange fruit that average 10 to 16 ounces apiece. This tomato is ideal for canning, freezing, or for home-cooked meals.
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| Mr. Stripey Heirloom Tomato |
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| German Johnson Heirloom Tomato |
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| Moskvich Heirloom Tomato |
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Pretty and luscious, Mr. Stripey tomatoes have rich yellow undertones covered with pinkish-red striping.
German-Johnsons have a deep, acidic tomato flavor and a rich, creamy texture.
Moskvich heirlooms are deep red, and cold tolerant featurig a rich flavor. Smooth and globe-shaped, each tomato weighs approximately 4-6 oz. and typically has a small stem scar.
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| Mortgage Lifter Heirloom Tomato |
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The Mortgage Lifter is an immense, tasty heirloom beefsteak (average 2 1/2 lb.). It gets its name from having been developed in the 1930s by a gardener who planted the four biggest varieties he knew and crossed one with pollen from the other three. He paid off his mortage in six years by selling the plants!
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