Heirloom Tomatoes

Heirloom Tomatoes are family jewels.

Our guide to heirloom tomatoes demonstrates just why they are known for their rainbow of colours and sweet juicy flesh.

But why are heirloom tomatoes so special? Well, if you have ever tasted an heirloom tomato, you know it is because the taste differs greatly from that of the hybrid varieties.

Heirloom Tomatoes are named so because they are passed down from one generation to another much like a treasured piece of family jewelry. They are generally at least 50 years old & come from open-pollinated plants, which means they are pollinated naturally by birds, insects, wind or human hands. They are ‘breed true’, meaning the seeds can be saved to grow more of the same tomatoes year after year. The seeds are what makes an heirloom tomato, an heirloom tomato. Each season the seeds are selected from the most desirable plants, then passed down through the generations. This process enables farmers to select for certain desirable traits like juiciness, size, shape or colour.

Our list below details the different varieties of heirloom tomatoes to choose from.

Amish Paste

Versatile, flavorful, and juicy enough for slicing, but meaty enough for cooking. Bright fruit has few seeds & can be 8-12 oz. Ripens to a sweeter paste tomato.

Nepal

This productive, wonderfully flavored, globe to flattened-globe shaped, 10-12 oz., red colored fruit. This heirloom has a rich, old-fashioned tomato flavor.

Ave Maria

A large, medium-late variety that can grow up to 1kg. A very palatable heirloom with dense flesh, raspberry in color with light ribbing on the exterior.

Oxheart Red

Sometimes called beef heart tomatoes, these vigorous plants produce huge, deep rosy pink, heart shaped fruit that grow 9-16 oz. Complex, earthy, rich flavour.

Beefsteak

The largest variety often weighing a pound or more. They have a pink to red ribbed exterior at maturity. A large, meaty, solid fruit with a mild, flavorful taste.

Pera d’Abruzzo

Native to the Italian Abruzzo region, the flesh is not only deeply coloured, but plump, juicy and with very few seeds. The flavour is rich without much acid.

Black Krim

Native to Russia, it is a beef-steak type tomato with a unique dark violet coloration when given plenty of sun. It is renowned for their great, mild-tart taste.

Pineapple

Enormous, uniquely patterned, yellow-red striped fruit with a mostly yellow interior, it will be the center of attraction. Beefsteak-type easily grow to 5" and larger.

Brandywine

A large, pink variety with a distinctive characteristic of bushy foliage. A beefsteak shaped tomato that has great tomatoey flavor and wonderful acidity.

Pruden’s Purple

An old family favorite, it is a delicious, large, 12-16 oz. fruit with dark pink skin and crimson flesh. The flavor is nice and balanced between sweet & tart.

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Cherokee Purple

A purple colored variety, cultivated by a Cherokee tribe. Loads of 12 oz. beefsteak tomatoes with deep red interiors. One of the best tasting heirlooms.

Purple Marvel

A large beefsteak type heirloom, it is thick skinned with a hearty flavour. Known as slicers, their flavour & size lends it to be sliced & eaten raw.

Great White

Known for being the largest & tastiest of the white tomato varieties & one of the sweetest tomatoes. Few seeds, very juicy, great for salads, sandwiches & sauces.

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Red Pear Piriform

An Italian heirloom is ripe when the shoulders are still green. This medium sized, shiny-skinned, pear-shaped heirloom is great for canning & pickling.

Monte Rosa

An unparalleled tomato, it is the perfect combination of flavour, texture, shape & colour. A pinkish tomato at maturity with an intense herbaceous aroma.

Rose

A large leafy heirloom that produces deep, rose-pink, 3” meaty globes with a taste that rivals those varieties heralded most for their look & luscious, rich flavour.

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Moskovich

Produces flavorful, 4 - 6 oz., deep red, smooth, globe-shaped fruits. This hardy fruit starts producing very early in the season. Good for fresh, canning or cooking.

Sicilian Saucer

Italian heirloom tomato producing giant, heavily lobed, beefsteak type fruit. A big, meaty, flavourful tomato which makes delicious roasted tomatoes.

Mr. Stripey

This heirloom has unusually small leaves with a mix of yellow & red colour that may seem unripe. Sweet, low acid & grown for their flavor & slicing size.

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Striped German

A big, beefsteak type that grows quite quickly & continues until late fall. A yellow-orange tomato with a complex flavor you cannot get from non-heirlooms.

Muddy Waters

This unusually coloured tomato has gold stripes with indigo shading A strong ‘green when ripe’ tomato with deliciously rich, complex & intense flavour.

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Valencia

Named after the Valencia orange because of its color, this beautiful tomato has a refreshing, tomatoey taste with a balance of sweet & acidic flavours.

Heirloom Tomatoes