Tomatoes with a History By Paula Szilard We owe the Italians a lot, really. They gave us an array of delectable foods, including spaghetti, pizza and delicious vegetables such as broccoli, but most importantly, they gave us the modern tomato. When the tomato first reached Europe around 1550 from its ancestral home in the Andes, it was a very small yellow round fruit no bigger than a cherry. Hence, the Italian name ‘pomodoro’ or golden apple. True, tomatoes were domesticated in Mexico well before they reached Italy and Spain, but the Italians were largely responsible for creating the tomatoes we have today. At that time, Europeans still weren’t sure the tomato was safe to eat. It languished for another 200 years, cultivated only as a curiosity, but the fearless Italians saw the potential in this fruit. They not only ate it and lived to tell, but they also selected the best varieties and bred larger and better fruit. The Spanish were also early adopters, having received shipments from their colonies in the New World. They likewise made extensive use of the tomato in their cuisine, but not as abundantly as the Italians. From these two countries the tomato spread to France. And from there it conquered the world. Early in their history tomatoes were a hard sell, but they became so popular in Europe that in 1812 they arrived back in the New World via New Orleans. It is said that Thomas Jefferson himself smuggled in seeds from France. Then around 1840, the tomato took off like wildfire. Fearing Burr, a prominent horticulturist in New England, wrote in 1863, in his classic book, Field and Garden Vegetables of America, that cultivation had increased four-fold in the previous 20 years and that tomatoes were “so universally enjoyed” that they were served in one form or another during every season of the year. The person most responsible for the tomato’s success in America was an Ohio seedsman named Alexander Livingston, who bred for flavor and smooth skin. He developed more than a dozen very popular varieties in the late 1800’s, becoming the undisputed leader of American tomato breeding. Some of his tomato varieties, such as Golden Queen and Paragon, are still in our heirloom repertoire of today. Most of the old varieties, unfortunately, are now forever lost. Those that remain and have been passed down through the generations for at least 50 years are legitimately referred to as heirloom tomatoes. Some heirlooms were actually commercial introductions of the time and were then saved by gardeners. The key is that they are all open-pollinated, in other words, not hybrids. Unlike hybrids, these plants come true from seed. Many of them produce larger fruits and therefore need a longer growing season. A considerable number require a growing season of 80-90 days from planting out. As Americans have become more discerning in their tomato preferences, garden centers have begun offering more heirloom varieties. Heirloom growers with a penchant for the more unusual varieties grow their own plants from seed. Heirloom seeds are now much easier to find, thanks to the Seed Savers Exchange (www.seedsavers.org) and a growing number of commercial seed companies making them available. The following are some popular heirloom varieties for fresh eating: Brandywine. This legendary tomato is considered by many tomato connoisseurs to be the best and have the most complex flavor. It is large and may need up to 100 days to ripen. There are many Brandywines, a pink variety, the Sudduth strain of the pink variety, a red one, a yellow one, and one called Brandywine OTV, to mention a few. Black Krim. This Russian variety is fast gaining popularity. Connoisseurs have described this tomato as exotic and musky, even smoky. Cherokee Purple. So named because it is said to come from the Cherokee Indians and has a purplish skin. It is said to rival the Brandywine in flavor. Riesentraube. This grape tomato, as its German name indicates consists of giant bunches of grapes. There may be up to 350 blossoms in a floral spray. The flavor is considered fruity and full. Yellow Pear. Attractive in appearance, but mildly flavored, this tomato is a favorite mostly because it’s so pretty in a salad or on a crudites tray. Green Zebra. This small ripe-when-green tomato is a small yellowish green fruit with green striping. Connoisseurs consider it full flavored and spicy. Tomato Growing Tips 1. After all danger of frost hast passed, test your soil temperature. It must be at least 50 F, 6 inches below the surface. You can warm it by using walls of water for earlier planting. 2. Select a sunny location. Tomatoes need a minimum of 6 hours of sunshine. 3. Plant plants deeply, especially if stems are weak, at least 3 feet apart. 4. Rotate your tomatoes and other solanaceous vegetables, such as peppers, potatoes and eggplants, planting them in the same location only every 3rd or 4th year. Admittedly, this is difficult in a small garden, but it helps soil-borne disease organisms from building up. 5. Water tomatoes regularly and evenly, applying about 1” of water per week. Good watering will help you avoid blossom end rot, a calcium deficiency which shows in garden tomatoes when plants are not consistently and evenly watered. It shows up in container grown tomatoes because potting mixes and most tomato fertilizers lack calcium. 6. Stake them using a steel fence post or a wooden stake. Save your nylon stockings to tie them up. 7. Cage your tomatoes. For best results, build cages from steel wire grids for reinforcing concrete, available at building supply stores. 8. Fertilize using a good tomato fertilizer, either organic or conventional. Do not use high nitrogen fertilizers. You will get leafy growth and less fruit. Use a fertilizer with roughly equal levels of nitrogen or phosphorus, with a little more potassium. 9. Mulch your plants. This not only saves water, but keeps soil from splashing up on the plants, lessening exposure to soil-borne disease. 10. It’s best not to water from the top, to avoid cracking of fruits. 11. Do not use herbicides anywhere near your tomatoes. Tomatoes are so sensitive to herbicide injury, horticulturists consider them an indicator plant. 12. When growing in containers, use a good quality potting mix, not garden soil, but be mindful of the fact that such mixes have virtually no nutrients. Unlike Colorado garden soils, potting mixes have no calcium and unfortunately, neither do most tomato fertilizers, so sprinkle a little horticultural lime over the top of the potting mix.

Tomatoes with a History

Paula Szilard

We owe the Italians a lot, really. They gave us an array of delectable foods, including spaghetti, pizza and delicious vegetables such as broccoli, but most importantly, they gave us the modern tomato.

When the tomato first reached Europe around 1550 from its ancestral home in the Andes, it was a very small yellow round fruit no bigger than a cherry. Hence, the Italian name ‘pomodoro’ or golden apple. True, tomatoes were domesticated in Mexico well before they reached Italy and Spain, but the Italians were largely responsible for creating the tomatoes we have today.

At that time, Europeans still weren’t sure the tomato was safe to eat. It languished for another 200 years, cultivated only as a curiosity, but the fearless Italians saw the potential in this fruit. They not only ate it and lived to tell, but they also selected the best varieties and bred larger and better fruit. The Spanish were also early adopters, having received shipments from their colonies in the New World. They likewise made extensive use of the tomato in their cuisine, but not as abundantly as the Italians. From these two countries the tomato spread to France. And from there it conquered the world.

Early in their history tomatoes were a hard sell, but they became so popular in Europe that in 1812 they arrived back in the New World via New Orleans. It is said that Thomas Jefferson himself smuggled in seeds from France. Then around 1840, the tomato took off like wildfire. Fearing Burr, a prominent horticulturist in New England, wrote in 1863, in his classic book, Field and Garden Vegetables of America, that cultivation had increased four-fold in the previous 20 years and that tomatoes were “so universally enjoyed” that they were served in one form or another during every season of the year.

The person most responsible for the tomato’s success in America was an Ohio seedsman named Alexander Livingston, who bred for flavor and smooth skin. He developed more than a dozen very popular varieties in the late 1800’s, becoming the undisputed leader of American tomato breeding. Some of his tomato varieties, such as Golden Queen and Paragon, are still in our heirloom repertoire of today.

Most of the old varieties, unfortunately, are now forever lost. Those that remain and have been passed down through the generations for at least 50 years are legitimately referred to as heirloom tomatoes. Some heirlooms were actually commercial introductions of the time and were then saved by gardeners. The key is that they are all open-pollinated, in other words, not hybrids. Unlike hybrids, these plants come true from seed. Many of them produce larger fruits and therefore need a longer growing season. A considerable number require a growing season of 80-90 days from planting out.

As Americans have become more discerning in their tomato preferences, garden centers have begun offering more heirloom varieties. Heirloom growers with a penchant for the more unusual varieties grow their own plants from seed. Heirloom seeds are now much easier to find, thanks to the Seed Savers Exchange (www.seedsavers.org) and a growing number of commercial seed companies making them available.

The following are some popular heirloom varieties for fresh eating:

Brandywine. This legendary tomato is considered by many tomato connoisseurs to be the best and have the most complex flavor. It is large and may need up to 100 days to ripen. There are many Brandywines, a pink variety, the Sudduth strain of the pink variety, a red one, a yellow one, and one called Brandywine OTV, to mention a few.

Black Krim. This Russian variety is fast gaining popularity. Connoisseurs have described this tomato as exotic and musky, even smoky.

Cherokee Purple. So named because it is said to come from the Cherokee Indians and has a purplish skin. It is said to rival the Brandywine in flavor.

Riesentraube. This grape tomato, as its German name indicates consists of giant bunches of grapes. There may be up to 350 blossoms in a floral spray. The flavor is considered fruity and full.

Yellow Pear. Attractive in appearance, but mildly flavored, this tomato is a favorite mostly because it’s so pretty in a salad or on a crudites tray.

Green Zebra. This small ripe-when-green tomato is a small yellowish green fruit with green striping. Connoisseurs consider it full flavored and spicy.

Tomato Growing Tips

1.After all danger of frost hast passed, test your soil temperature. It must be at least 50 F, 6 inches below the surface. You can warm it by using walls of water for earlier planting.

2.Select a sunny location. Tomatoes need a minimum of 6 hours of sunshine.

3.Plant plants deeply, especially if stems are weak, at least 3 feet apart.

4.Rotate your tomatoes and other solanaceous vegetables, such as peppers, potatoes and eggplants, planting them in the same location only every 3rd or 4th year. Admittedly, this is difficult in a small garden, but it helps soil-borne disease organisms from building up.

5.Water tomatoes regularly and evenly, applying about 1” of water per week. Good watering will help you avoid blossom end rot, a calcium deficiency which shows in garden tomatoes when plants are not consistently and evenly watered. It shows up in container grown tomatoes because potting mixes and most tomato fertilizers lack calcium.

6.Stake them using a steel fence post or a wooden stake. Save your nylon stockings to tie them up.

7.Cage your tomatoes. For best results, build cages from steel wire grids for reinforcing concrete, available at building supply stores.

8.Fertilize using a good tomato fertilizer, either organic or conventional. Do not use high nitrogen fertilizers. You will get leafy growth and less fruit. Use a fertilizer with roughly equal levels of nitrogen or phosphorus, with a little more potassium.

9.Mulch your plants. This not only saves water, but keeps soil from splashing up on the plants, lessening exposure to soil-borne disease.

10. It’s best not to water from the top, to avoid cracking of fruits.

11. Do not use herbicides anywhere near your tomatoes. Tomatoes are so sensitive to herbicide injury, horticulturists consider them an indicator plant.

12. When growing in containers, use a good quality potting mix, not garden soil, but be mindful of the fact that such mixes have virtually no nutrients. Unlike Colorado garden soils, potting mixes have no calcium and unfortunately, neither do most tomato fertilizers, so sprinkle a little horticultural lime over the top of the potting mix.