This is a book for the true tomato snob who is not content with the ordinary red beefsteak weighing heavily on the vine at the end of summer. Yellow, pink, green, and orange tomatoes are all part of this guide to heirloom varieties, many of which are only available through catalogs or through an organization called the Seed Savers Exchange.

Author Carolyn Male favors heirlooms that have been passed down through families, not commercially created hybrids. She does not hesitate to be critical, calling some varieties mealy or bland, while others send her into epiphanies. Although she makes gestures toward guiding the novice, this is a book for either food fanatics or experts who move in the subculture of truly obsessed gardeners catering to gourmet cooks and specialty markets. Throughout the book, enticing photographs of freshly picked heirlooms remind the reader that grocery store tomatoes aren't really tomatoes at all, sitting sadly under fluorescent lights, losing their flavor and color. If only they had been born in a tomato snob's garden; then they would have been treated like royalty. -–Emily White


Book News, Inc.
Tomato aficionado and professor of microbiology Dr. Male provides a detailed analysis of 100 heirloom tomatoes, with observations ranging from their foliage type and productivity to nuances of flavor. Includes chapters on tomato culture and seed-saving, with excellent color photographs. -- Copyright © 1999 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR All rights reserved Book News, Inc.®, Portland, OR


Book Description
Tomatoes have always been far and away the most popular plant in the vegetable garden, and today the class act among tomatoes is the heirloom varieties--those vegetables with a past that go back generations, their seeds preserved and passed down among families, friends, and dedicated farmers. And no one knows heirloom tomatoes like Carolyn Male, a biologist who's grown more than a thousand varieties in the last 14 years. Following the lush and practical format of 100 English Roses for the American Garden (with 57,000 copies in print), 100 Heirloom Tomatoes is a thorough how-to and a stunningly photographed field guide. It covers every facet of growing heirlooms, from selecting the right varieties for your zone and type of garden to timing and planting of seeds, transplanting, hardening off, staking vs. caging, fertilizing, and more. There's a section on how to become a seed saver and even how to do crosses that will lead to creating your own heirlooms. Then comes the tasty part: Aunt Ginny's Purple and Amish Paste, Redfield Beauty, Green Zebra, Georgia Streak and the Santa Clara Canner. Fluted, scalloped, flattened, or lobed--white, pink, red, orange, gold, or chocolate brown--sweet to tart, mild to strong, perfumed and fruity to dark and smoky--now these are tomatoes with real character.


From the Publisher
Also in the series: 100 English Roses for the American Garden and 100 Orchids for the American Gardener.


From the Back Cover
Drippy, delicious, mouthwatering taste. That's what heirloom tomatoes are all about. From seeds carefully collected and passed down through generations, heirlooms reinvigorate the garden--and captivate the gardener--with their beguiling flavors, their wild variety of shapes and colors, and their enchanting histories. 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden covers every facet of raising these nearly lost treasures, including when to plant seeds and transplant seedlings, ways to prevent foliage diseases, cultivation, propagation, and more. Following the step-by-step how-to is a stunningly photographed and comprehensive field guide to 100 tried-and-true heirloom varieties, from the spicy Green Grape--the only true ripe-when-green cherry tomatoe-- to Omar's Lebanese--a superbly flavored pink beefsteak that can grow as large as four pounds.


About the Author
Carolyn J. Male, Ph.D., is a professor of microbiology at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. She is also a major voice on AOL's tomato forum, and an author whose articles appear in Kitchen Gardening, The American Cottage Gardener, and The Historical Gardener. Dr. Male scientifically--and lovingly--has raised more than a thousand different varieties of heirloom tomatoes in her zone 5 garden in upstate New York.


Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
BLACK FROM TULA Part of the fun and excitement of growing heirloom tomatoes is to experience the fantastic range of colors and tastes. First-time growers of black-type tomatoes are often astounded by the unique color. Some, unfortunately, are so put off by the unconventional appearance that they never get to truly enjoy the wonderful flavor. There are those who claim that black tomatoes have a salty or even smoky flavor, but I've found them to be absolutely rich and sweet. When ripe, Black from Tula has prominent green shoulders and a dusky rose-black coloring. (When grown in the North, the black types don't develop the true blackish color that they do in the South.) The chocolate flesh is contrasted nicely wiht the deep green gel capsules that encase the seeds. The photograph also shows a distinctive spiral pattern of concentric cracking. Black from Tule has a very heavy foliage cover of regular leaves, and is somewhat susceptible to early blight. The yield is moderate. It performs better for me than all the other black types except Noir de Crimee. TYPE: family ORIGIN: Ukraine MATURITY: midseason COLOR/SHAPE: smoky, dark reddish black with green shoulders; oblate SIZE/ARRANGEMENT: about 10 to 12 ounces each, growing singly or in clusters of two or three YIELD: moderate PLANT/FOLIAGE: indeterminate habit with heavy cover of regular-leaf foliage TASTE: rich and sweet SEEDS: available commercially Excerpted from 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden, copyright (c) 1999 by Smith & Hawken. Reprinted by permission of Workman Publishing.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Drippy, delicious, mouthwatering taste. That's what heirloom tomatoes are all about.  From seeds carefully collected and passed down through generations, heirlooms reinvigorate the garden--and captivate the gardener--with their beguiling flavors, their wild variety of shapes and colors, and their enchanting histories.

100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden covers every facet of raising these nearly lost treasures, including when to plant seeds and transplant seedlings, ways to prevent foliage diseases, cultivation, propagation, and more.

Following the step-by-step how-to is a stunningly photographed and comprehensive field guide to 100 tried-and-true heirloom varieties, from the spicy Green Grape--the only true ripe-when-green cherry tomatoe-- to Omar's Lebanese--a superbly flavored pink beefsteak that can grow as large as four pounds.

FROM THE CRITICS

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