Nothing says summer more than the farm-fresh fruits and vegetables available at our farmers’ markets this time of year. This month, heirloom tomatoes, which have grown popular and become more readily available in recent years, are especially abundant. According to many tomato experts, heirloom tomatoes are grown for a variety of reasons but mainly for their intense flavor. 

SELECTION AND STORAGE

The best way to assure good quality and taste is to use your nose. If you smell the blossom (not the stem end) you’ll find that the most flavorful ones have a rich tomato aroma. Heirloom tomatoes are more delicate and have a much shorter shelf life than other tomato varieties, since many have cracks, scrapes, bruises and are not as perfectly formed as “regular” tomatoes. The worst thing you can do is refrigerate them—refrigeration is the enemy of any type of tomato (it can turn the flesh mealy, causing the flavor to deteriorate). Once cut, however, refrigeration is acceptable.

DID YOU KNOW?

Although this tomato variety doesn’t have an exact definition, it dates back to the 1950s when people saved the unique seeds from year to year, passing them down from gardener to gardener—hence “heirloom.”

Heirloom tomatoes come in all different sizes, shapes and colors, and they all look (and taste) delicious. What’s more, they’re packed with vitamins A and C, potassium and lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that may reduce the risks of some cancers. These tomatoes are perfect in almost any salad or pasta dish, or even alone as a snack.

— Susan Belknap

For details on where to buy Placer County farm-fresh produce, wine, meat and local products, visit placergrown.org and foothillfarmersmarket.com.