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Heirloom Tomatoes are prized possessions of dedicated seed preservers who try to maintain the original type. These tomatoes are never perfectly round, usually a bit flat on the bottom. They have big, soft, uneven shoulders with some hints of green, modest creases running from the top down to the sides where they smooth out. The skin is firm but softly delicate unlike hybrid tomatoes which present uniform in shape with tough-skin as they are bred for even ripening with durability for long shipping distances, this results in poor texture and taste.
In the early 20th century hundreds of heirloom varieties were commercially grown in North America and other varieties were coming out of farms and family gardens. Many of these varieties came to North America with the waves of migration from Italy, Germany, Eastern Europe, and elsewhere. Changes in our society gradually brought about a demise in the availability of these varieties. As the seed industry developed in the second half of the 19th century, there was less need for people to save their own seed. With the advent of complex hybrids in the second half of the 20th century, it became impossible for people to save seed. People moved from the country to the cities and suburbs, and farming was no longer a way of life for 98 percent of Americans. The large-scale production of tomatoes both fresh and processed meant that people did not have to grow their own. Consumers began to expect the availability of fresh tomatoes for five months out of the year and eventually year round. A tremendous amount of marketing effort by the seed industry went into promoting the hybrid tomatoes for the home gardener and farmer alike. Once the heirloom varieties disappeared from commercial sources, it didn't take long for them to disappear altogether. Often only a handful of people would be growing a given variety, when those growers died, sometimes the variety died with them.
Today growers such as A Field for Flowers have realized that the taste of a real tomato has been lost in progress and such growers are committed to providing consumers with heirloom tomatoes and preserving these great varieties. These varieties are full of flesh, juices that run down your face and an enjoyment of flavour. The seed stock is obtained from a variety of non-commercial sources and one of the biggest assets are seed saver organizations such as Seeds of Diversity and Seed Savers. Please check out our links section for recommended resources and tools to help you with your growing. If you would like us to grow the tomatoes then check out where to find us.