28 | Sourced | august — october 2021
F O O D S E R V I C E I D E A S & I N S P I R AT I O N
THE HEIRLOOM TOMATO Try adding heirloom tomatoes to your menus in these unique recipes. Fresh basil and mozzarella with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic. This heirloom tomato salad is a sweet and flavorful surprise.
true heirloom plant comes from seeds that are passed down, plant to plant, through many generations. They are open pollinated (which means they are pollinated through nature, not by human intervention) and are well known for a natural resistance to pests and disease. These tomatoes offer alarmingly wonderful flavors and amazingly beautiful presentations. Every color has a different flavor profile! You may see several different descriptions of “heirlooms”: • Commercial Heirlooms are open pollinated varieties introduced before 1940 or tomato varieties that are more than 50 years old. • Family Heirlooms are exactly that, seeds that are passed down generation to generation within a farm family. • Mystery Heirlooms are natural products of the cross pollination of two different heirloom varieties. When purchasing heirloom items, think about wine. Each and every variety is genetically (naturally) different, not unlike different wines from different vineyards. Each year the tomatoes may be affected by different weather patterns and mature in different ways. Think how a cabernet from one year’s harvest could taste completely different from another year’s harvest. So one heirloom tomato mostly likely will taste different from another heirloom tomato. As a rule, the darker the tomato, the higher the sugar content. Tomato tasting will never be the same! Although tomatoes are the most commonly sold and consumed heirloom plant, heirlooms are cultivated for many kinds of produce (ask our Fruit Department about heirloom oranges!). And they’re all beautiful to us! n
Red, yellow, brown, and orange heirloom tomatoes create a festive salsa with an unbelievable burst of flavor. Prepare a tart or omelet with burst heirloom cherry tomatoes, organic eggs, sprouts, or micro-greens, and fresh cracked pepper.
For an interesting spin on bruschetta, use multiple colors of heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, and feta. Top off a gourmet pizza with a pattern of contrasting heirloom tomatoes. Finish off these strong flavors with fresh oregano, basil and ricotta.
