A Guide to Tomatoes
Tomato season is officially upon us and we know they are one of the most awaited veggies of the summer! We love growing so many different varieties of cherry, heirloom, and slicing tomatoes for our community. New to the world of tomato varieties or want to know the best uses for each type? We created a tomato guide to share more information about them all!
Cherry Tomatoes
These small, bite-size tomatoes make them great for snacking raw or added to salads. Cherry tomatoes can also be cooked into a pasta sauce and are delicious roasted! Learn more about the many different types we grow below!
Red Cherry Tomatoes
Bright and sweet, these classic cherry tomatoes have a thin, snappy peel and a very juicy center.
Sungold Tomatoes
The Sungold tomato is an orange-colored cherry tomato cultivar with a sugary-sweet tropical taste. An absolute favorite on our farm among staff and customers!
Indigo Cherry Tomatoes
Although their skin is purple, there's no impact on the taste of the fruit. They taste sweet with a hint of tartness and slightly tangy.
Yellow Pear Tomatoes
Very sweet, 1½-inch yellow, pear-shaped fruit has a mild flavor, and is great for fresh eating or for making tomato preserves.
Heirloom Tomatoes
Heirloom tomatoes are special because they are open-pollinated tomatoes, with seeds that have been passed down for generations. They are delicious sliced on sandwiches, toast, or on their own as a salad with some olive oil and basil!
Pink Berkley Tie Dye
These tomatoes are beautiful fruit with red-yellow-green stripes and deep colored flesh. The flavor is outstanding - sweet and complex like the finest heirlooms.
Green Zebra
Green Zebra tomatoes have a tart, astringent flavor when young, transitioning into a balanced blend of sweet and tangy flavors with maturity.
Striped German
One of the most visually appealing tomatoes – stunning shades of red and orange streaking to bright yellow. When sliced, the tomato is marbled. Flavor is fruity and complex and it’s very juicy!
Beefsteak Tomatoes
Beefsteak tomatoes are the largest tomatoes grown and are perfect for tomato sandwiches and burgers! We grow both heirloom and hybrid beefsteak tomatoes. We choose hybrids for their flavor and love them for their disease-resistance, uniform fruit sizes and high productivity. We choose the heirlooms for the exceptional flavor and beautiful and unique colorings.
Big Beef
Our most productive tomato on the farm and super easy and versatile in the kitchen! Perfect for slicing on sandwiches or dicing into salsas and stews- any of your summertime tomato needs! Predictable sizes, juicy flavor, vine-ripened deliciousness!
Black Krim
Bold, smoky flavor tomato featuring dark shoulders (more deep green/brownish than “black”). High yielding Russian heirloom tomato is a beautiful addition to our line-up!
Brandywine
One of the best tasting tomatoes – it’s truly exceptional! Interesting fact about Brandywine tomatoes: their leaves are called “potato leaf” because they appear more like a potato than a tomato at first glance!
Roma or Paste Tomatoes
Sauce tomatoes are grown on “determinate” tomato plants which flush all at once – perfect for preservation! Roma tomatoes are more “meaty” and feature more flesh than juice. We grow two heirloom types of roma tomatoes that have exceptional flavor!
San Marzano Tomatoes
These roma tomatoes are ideal for canning and making paste due to their density.
Speckled Roman
These beautiful elongated plum tomatoes have bright red skin and golden streaks. They’re good for fresh eating and also cooking quickly into sauce.
Green Tomatoes
Green Tomatoes
The right time to harvest green tomatoes is when they are a full size tomato but show no signs of ripening yet! They have a more acidic, tart flavor considering they haven't yet developed into proper, juicy red tomatoes. Perfect for pickling, breading, and of course frying!
Ready to cook with tomatoes?
Check out our website for tons of tomato recipe ideas! Share photos of what you’re making and tag us at @moonvalleyfarm.