The Neighborhood Farm

A collection of market gardens in and around Needham, MA

The Tomatoes of 2008:

Here are photos and descriptions of the varieties we grew in 2008.  Some are coming back for 2009, and some aren't.  Sorry Sugar Lump - you split too much to pick.  To see this year's varieties, click here.

 
Sugar lump
Sugar Lump AKA Gardener's Delight - an heirloom cherry that is sweet and red.  These tomatoes can be tiny or over an inch.  The variation in size looks good on salads.


  
principe borghese
Principe Borghese - a low water heirloom cherry tomato good for cooking.  Great flavor, makes wonderful sauces and sundried tomatoes.
  Cherokee Purple
Cherokee Purple - a classic heirloom, with a brownish-purple bottom and greenish-brown shoulders.  It is totally ripe even when the shoulders still show green.  Sweet, juicy, rich, one of the most popular varieties for good reason.

   Lemon Drop
Lemon Drop - a translucent yellow heirloom cherry that is tart and a little sweet all at once.  Lots of variation between tomatoes, some are quite sweet, some are quite tart.  Great mixed into salads with sungolds.
  Sungellas
Sungella - sadly not a golf ball sized Sungold as I'd hoped, but still a good tomato.  Sweet and low acid, with real tomato flavor.  		  cosmonaut volkov
Cosmonaut Volkov - oddly, our only red, round tomato this year.  Cosmonaut, an heirloom from Russia, tastes and looks like a classic tomato, but with a little bit of yellow and orange patterning to the outside.  Delicious. 
       
  green zebraGreen Zebra - a green but SWEET heirloom* tomato.  Green Zebra has a yellow-green base with darker green "Zebra" stripes.  It is incredibly sweet and flavorful.  For a fun change of pace, use Green Zebras to make a tomato and basil salad, but use red balsamic vinegar and purple basil.  *It is argued whether Green Zebra is an heirloom, but it is so good we count it as one.   black krim
Black Krim - an heirloom that is ripe when it is half green/half purplish-maroon.  The shoulders always stay green.  It is rich and complex in flavor.  It is also very non-standard in appearance.  They can be perfectly smooth and round, or weirdly distorted and mountainous.   They always taste wonderful though.
  giant tree tomatoGiant Tree - a big, pink heirloom tomato with bright green streaked shoulders.  Good tomato flavor and nicely juicy.  Excellent on sandwiches.   japanese black trifele
Japanese Black Trifele - an heirloom tomato shaped like a plumb bob.  Dark purplish brown bottom, with dark green shoulders.  Rich and juicy.  A fantastic tomato.
  Super Sun Cherry Super Sun Cherry - a red hybrid cherry tomato.  Sweet (nearly as sweet as sungold!) with a nicely balanced cherry tomato flavor.  These are my new favorite red cherries.   Rose de' Berne
Rose de' Berne - beautiful, pink, round, sweet heirloom tomatoes.  Medium sized and surprisingly, not ugly.  Oh well, we love them anyway.  They can't all be ugly.
 
amish paste
Amish Paste - an heirloom paste tomato.  Low water so it's great for making sauce.  Classic tomato flavor.		    
       
       

For more information about tomatoes, read our 8-8-08 newsletter.

 

black cherry
Black Cherry - heirloom cherry tomatoes for grownups.  Rich, complex flavor like the big dark tomatoes.


Brown betty
Brown Betty - Sweet and rich heirloom cherry - the best of both worlds.  This is my first year growing Brown Betty and it's become a favorite already.
Sungolds
Sungold - a hybrid cherry tomato that is SO worth growing!  If candy came in a tomato flavor, this is what it would taste like.  Fantastically sweet!

Pineapple
Pineapple - a HUGE yellow, red and orange heirloom tomato that looks like a sunset.  Gorgeous!  It tastes like it looks - wonderful.    Sweet, low-acid, smooth, delicious.
brandywine
Brandywine - the tomato that brought heirlooms back into the public consciousness, a big meaty beefsteak that is just a touch tart.  A great slicer.  Dark pinkish-red.
Tiffen Mennonite
Tiffen Mennonite - another heirloom very similar to Brandywine, but milder, even bigger (1lb+), and pinker.
Aunt Ruby's German Green
Aunt Ruby's German Green - a green heirloom tomato that is ripe, sweet, tart and fantastic.  Tastes great.  This is my first year growing Aunt Ruby, and it has become my sandwich tomato of choice.  When ripe it is green, with a faint yellowish-pink blush at the base.