By Tomato Queen

This year has been my first experience cultivating the purple Cherokee heirloom, and so far, my impression is that it’s a little bit precious.

According to Slow Food USA, that may be because it’s a bit endangered.

First off, imagine my surprise to only find twelve seeds in an itty bitty packet. Granted, you might expect to pay more for a packet of organic heirlooms.

But these are more precious than your average heirloom.

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By Amelia Tucker

With the season drawing to a close, you should know which plants grew the best this year.

Why not save those seeds and get a jump start on next year’s gardening?

It is easy to do and you will be saving the seeds from the plants that grew best in your particular area, ensuring a better harvest every time.

Here is what you do:

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By Amelia Tucker

One of the things that tie backyard gardeners together is the desire to eat the freshest and healthiest produce they can.

If you are buying your tomato from someone else, how do you know if it is organic?

• Buy locally
• Know your tomato’s history
• Check the sticker number

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By Michelle Fabio

If you will be around Carmel, California on September 16, 2007, you should consider reserving your spot at the16th annual NatureSweet Carmel TomatoFest, a celebration of heirloom tomatoes from around the world.

At “America’s Favorite Tomato Harvest Festival” you’ll find over 350 heirloom tomato varieties including NatureSweet’s own, which started as an experiment by the Israeli Department of Agriculture to figure out how to grow tomatoes in Israel’s desert climate year round.

The results were transferred to the United States in 1990, and have been grown here ever since.

Those heirlooms along with innovative tomato dishes, over a hundred premium wines and tomato salsas, an international olive oil tasting event, an old-fashioned barbecue, and taste-testing of tomato specialty products ensure that you won’t go hungry or thirsty at the Quail Lodge Resort, site of the festival.

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By Michelle Fabio

The use of fertilizers has always been a controversial subject among gardeners, but now a recently published study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry suggests that organically grown tomatoes may actually be more nutritious than their conventionally grown counterparts—and the reason may be the lack of nitrogen in the soil.

Over a period of ten years, researchers at the University of California measured the levels of two “flavonoids,” antioxidants linked to reducing high Read the rest of this entry »

By Danny Thompson

Imagine, a single genetic line guarded closely, it’s secret passed quietly from generation to generation while the masses are blissfully unaware of the simple yet profound truth.

No, it’s not a best-selling novel or blockbuster movie.

It’s the history of the Heirloom Tomato.

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