Early Girls
For those of you that like tomatoes, the first tomatoes of the year are in. Heirloom tomatoes are some of the most flavorful fruits of the summer. There are countless varieties from Early Girls to Brandywine to Mortgage Lifters to Zebras, each having their own uniqueness.
Early Girls are the first to arrive, obviously. They have a nice flavor, juicy and are a medium size. Brandywine tomatoes are probably the most widely grown tomato amongst home gardeners. They are large, lush and rich in flavor, sweet with a low acidity.
Mortgage lifters can grown anywhere from 2-4 pounds, which resulted in the tomato breeder to eventually pay off his mortgage. Here's the story.
The Mortgage Lifter tomato was developed in the early 1930's in Logan, West Virginia by a radiator repairman, M.C. "Radiator Charlie" Byles. Without any experience in breeding, he made a successful cross of four of the largest tomatoes he could find - German Johnson, Beefsteak, an Italian variety, and an English variety. Radiator Charlie sold the first seedlings of his new tomato in the 1940's for one dollar each to customers who drove up to 200 miles for his famous plants that bore tasty tomatoes averaging two and a half pounds. With these sales, Charlie managed to pay off his $6,000 mortgage in only six years, and so the tomato was named Mortgage Lifter.
This large, meaty, mild-flavored tomato has few seeds and is the perfect tomato-sandwich tomato. Indeterminate plants bear pinkish-red, two and a half to four pound tomatoes all summer long. ...
My all-time favorite summertime salad is a very simple tomato salad that mixes any and all heirloom tomatoes, the more variety the better. I surely don't want to cover any of the wonderful flavors that these amazing tomatoes have to offer, but just complement it.
Heirloom Tomato Salad
favorite Heirloom tomatoes
fresh basil
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
avocado
nutritional yeast
salt
- Simply thinly slice tomatoes and lay them out in on a plate.
- Chiffonade some fresh basil and sprinkle on top.
- Drizzle with some balsamic and olive oil.
- Top with nutritional yeast and sliced avocado.
- Pinch of salt. Voila!
Enjoy.
Vegan Chef Period.
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