My Favorite Heirloom: Old German

By Vanessa Richins

On the first night of my Master Gardener course, we had a tomato sampling feast. (Lucky me!)

We went out to the experimental tomato patch and were able to try many different varieties of tomatoes.

The one that I was most impressed with was a heirloom named ‘Old German.’

The fruits were huge and the flesh very sweet. I felt like stealing the plate so I wouldn’t have to be polite and leave the rest for everyone else.

We have Old German thanks to a 19th century Mennonite (a religious sect that is somewhat like the Amish) group in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

Actually, several of the heirlooms Read the rest of this entry »