A few months ago we planted some heirloom tomatoes in our back yard garden and have been reaping the benefit lately of these delicious unadulterated tomatoes. They are simply delicious even though they may look a little strange, because they're not like the average tomato your are going to find in your local grocer's produce section.
If you didn't know, a tomato of the heirloom variety is essentially an original tomato variety that has been passed down from generation to generation and has not been genetically modified or is a hybrid variety. Some varieties of these tomatoes are as much as 400 years old, but it is widely agreed that any heirloom plant whether it be a tomato or not has to be from before 1951. There are some claims to these original plants after this date, but the general consensus is heirlooms are original before 1951.
With much of our food being genetically modified today because of the supposed need for quick growing plants and plants that are disease resistant, people have turned to heirloom vegetables. Seeds that come from GM plants can only produce for 1 generation and then they are sterile. They have been genetically tinkered with by companies such as the Monsanto Corporation to secure a monopoly on seed production.
The heirloom tomatoes we have in our garden are of the Mr stripey tomato variety and are pictured below. We grow all of our vegetables and fruits without the aid of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. We are not certified organic, but technically we probably are.
Our tomatoes are some of the most delicious we have ever tasted and we can eat them on veggie sandwiches, veggie burgers in salads and even eat them as a side dish with just a little oil and vinegar or lite salad dressing on them.
Have a look at our Heirloom tomatoes below:
