Ultimate Guide to Tomatoes
It's finally tomato season. From softball-sized sandwich-toppers to lop-sided heirlooms to bite-sized snacks, tomatoes come in all shapes and sizes. In this post, I'll walk you through what's what in the world of tomatoes.
Heirlooms vs. hybrids
One of the most common ways to categorize tomatoes is by how long ago they were bred. Hybrid tomatoes include all seed varieties that have been cross-bred within the last 50 years, while heirlooms include all varieties that haven't been genetically altered in 50 years or more. The distinction bewteen hybrids and heirlooms is super useful because the characteristics that people favor in tomatoes has changed a lot over time. Knowing when a tomato was bred can tell you a lot about how it will look and taste.
Farmers and food scientists have usually breed hybrid tomatoes to increase their supermarket appeal. This means that hybrid crops are high yielding and pest- and disease-resistant, and their fruits are durable and uniform in color and shape. These tomatoes are great for shipping across the country. However, they usually weren't bred with flavor in mind, so they don't always taste great on your salads and sammies. If they’re grown locally and allowed to fully ripen on the vine, this can improve their flavor significantly.
On the other hand, farmers usually bred heirlooms for their taste, without much consideration for appearance, yield, or durability. Heirlooms often end up looking pretty wild, but tasting absolutely scrummy, because of this. (Pst! Heirloom varieties also have great names. My favorites are Mr. Stripey, Banana Legs and Mortgage Lifter). Heirlooms aren’t in many grocery stores, but you can probably find heirloom tomato growers at your fav farmers market.
There are thousands of hybrid and heirloom tomato varieties, each with v different flavors, textures, colors and shapes. Not all of these varieties have the predictable characteristics of hybrids and heirlooms. Some hybrids taste amazing, while some heirloom plants are hearty and have a milder flavor. This is why it’s also helpful to think of tomatoes in terms of size…
Tomatoes by Size
Many farmers and chefs find it useful to categorize tomatoes based on their size because size is a reliable indicator of a tomato's best uses in cooking and baking. From biggest to smallest, tomatoes grow in four primary sizes: beefsteak, globe, plum and mini.
Beefsteak
Perhaps the most popular size of tomato for gardeners, beefsteaks are huge, juicy and usually pretty mild in flavor. Ripe beefsteaks typically measure a few inches in diameter and weigh 1-2 pounds, but some can get as large as 4 pounds. Beefsteaks are best for slicing onto sandwiches, but they are also popular in canning and have some uses in cooking.
Most popular hybrid varities: Better Boy, Big Beef, Big Boy
Most popular heirloom varieties: Black Krim, Cherokee Purple, Brandywine
Globe
Globe tomatoes are slightly smaller than beefsteaks but larger than plum tomatoes, usually weighing 6-10 ounces. Many grocery stores love globe tomatoes because they tend to be uniform in size and shape. You can use globe tomatoes in all the same applications as beefsteaks; they're just a little smaller. Slap them on your sandwich, can them and add them to your soups and stews.
Most popular hybrids: Early Girl, Jersey
Most popular heirlooms: Marglobe
Plum
Plum tomatoes are notably smaller than globe tomatoes, weighing about 2-4 ounces, and usually have a more elongated shape. Most plum tomatoes are specifically bred for sauces, pastes and cooking, so they have fewer seed pockets and more solid content than beefsteaks and globes. They are also perfect for canning, so stock up while you can.
Most popular hybrids: any and all Romas
Most popular heirlooms: San Marzano, Amish paste, Opalka
Mini
Mini tomatoes include cherry, grape and pear tomatoes. These work best for snacking and have some uses in cooking, but aren't usually canned or used in sauces or pastes. They're super juicy and usually have a satisfying "pop" when you bite them. I especially love mini pear-shaped tomatoes because they’re just so dang cute.
Most popular hybrids: Juliet, Sungold
Most popular heirlooms: Yellow Pear