Crops & Varieties: Tomatoes

San Marzano				Very prolific, these tomatoes are a big part of our operations on the farm, and you'll see why when you get some yourself!
Mariana				Another delicious plum type tomato, great for sauces.

 

Big Beef				Larger in size, ridiculously delicious, great for sandwiches and burgers
Estiva				Here are your "perfect" tomatoes: uniform red, smooth, blemish-free... and tasty to boot!
Defiant				Another sturdy breed, prolific and very good-tasting.
New Girl				Early and tasty!
Nyagous				Black tomato; unusually complex-tasting, luscious fruit. It's possible that you'll be genuinely surprised by how great these are.
Pink Beauty				Bright pink, really delicious fruit. (The one on the left is ripe!)
Prudens Purple (H)				Heirloom variety; deeper red in color, extra delicious in flavor.
Hillbilly (H)				Heirloom variety; red and yellow streaks and spots on the inside and outside, with incredibly rich tomato flavor. These are the ones that get enormous.

Quick tips
All tomatoes are delicious raw. Pop small tomatoes straight in your mouth on the night of the delivery; slice larger tomatoes for a hearty treat.

While elaborate pasta sauce recipes are great, fresh tomatoes are generally best eaten fresh. Make a quick pasta sauce by tossing corsely-chopped garlic, basil, and parsley into a food processor with fresh tomatoes. Mix just long enough to break tomatoes apart and mix ingredients, then toss with olive oil and pasta.

Try a tomato-only salad with halved Sun Golds, Black Cherries, and Juliets with just a little olive oil and vinegar with your choice of herbs.

Smash any tomato into almost any recipe - potatoes, eggs, stir-fries, meats, caseroles, etc.

Storage
Large tomatoes should never be refrigerated; it’s sometimes necessary to refrigerate tomatoes that are starting to look overripe, but it’s best to just eat or preserve them.

 

All tomatoes are best left at room temperature and eaten or prepared within the week. Juliets and Defiants tend to last longer than Sungold, Black Cherry or larger hybrid/heirloom varieties.  

Some Sungolds and Black Cherry tomatoes may split from excess moisture; they’re still good if you eat them right away, and it’s important to separate them from others, as they will draw fruit flies.

When any tomatoes start going soft, be sure to eat or prepare them right away.

If you want to ripen a tomato quickly, try putting it in a paper bag with an apple or put it in a sunny window.

The best way to keep tomatoes long-term is to can them. Canning is a fun project to take on, and there’s nothing more satisfying than the taste of home-canned tomatoes on a cold February day.

Tomatoes can also be frozen whole, though some may think the reduced flavor isn’t worth it.

Recipes

eCurry: Roasted Tomato and Lentil dip

Saving the Season: Canning Crushed Tomatoes

From CSA customer Dave, via our Tumblr: What to do with Green Tomatoes

The Bitten Word: Pork Tenderloin with Tomato-Peach compote