Smith & Hawken: 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden

by Carolyn J. Male

Preserved by families, collected by seed savers, passed around among farmers, heirloom tomatoes are now being sought out by more and more home gardeners as an alternative to the bland sameness of commercial hybrids. And happily, these growers are discovering that heirlooms are not only vastly more flavorful, but are just as hardy and easy to cultivate as the hybrids. Dr. Carolyn J. Male, who has raised more than a thousand heirloom tomatoes, here presents 100 consistently top-performing varieties for North American gardeners. There are red tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, green, orange, purple, and even black tomatoes--like Black from Tula, with green shoulders and a dusky rose-black coloring. There are cherry tomatoes, too--try Martino's Roma, a paste with spectacular yield and built-in tolerance of blossom end rot. For every gardener, no matter how experienced, here's everything you need to know to grow and harvest tomatoes with real taste.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Reference, Food

246 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1999

Reviews

[Rose-Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was bit by the gardening bug, my plot was in an organic community garden, and the first thing I wanted to grow was tomatoes. About the same time I started gardening, there was a display of many types of tomatoes at the 4H area of the Altamont Fair. I was excited to try a few different varieties each year in my plot.
One year, I was able to attend a workshop Carolyn Male gave at the Albany Shaker site. Part of it was a narrated slide show about many of the tomato varieties featured in this book, and she followed it with an explanation of tomato seed saving. This event was so inspiring that I bought her book.
I liked her format. There's a full page photo of each variety, and she describes the plant size and growing habit, fruit size, color, shape, flavor, appearance, and productivity. Several of her selections were tomatoes I recognized already by the time I encountered this book - and many became tomatoes on my Must-Have list.
I have to note that Dr. Carolyn Male was one of the writers (along with Craig LeHoullier) of a newsletter for tomato enthusiasts - I had learned of it during my introduction to heirloom tomatoes prior to Carolyn's workshop, but unfortunately wasn't able to get in on the fun, as it was no longer in operation by that time!
I very much appreciate all the variety of the heirloom tomatoes. If you grow them yourselves you know what you are getting.
For a few years I would grow several heirloom tomato varieties from seed, which I would purchase from up to 4 see companies. Now I choose from seedlings I find at a local Co-op or else a home and garden chain store.

[Bill Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the absolute BIBLE for all gardeners and gardener wannabes. We just lost Dr. Male this year after a short illness. This was her signature achievement. Carolyn was using the U.S. Mail system to trade seeds with other tomato growers around the world long before the invention of this thing called "the internets." She was the first to trial and sample a lot of the varieties that came from Eastern Europe after the Cold War ended and the Wall came down. Her contributions to the heirloom tomato and "grow your own" movement cannot be underestimated.

[Ali O'Hara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is like porn for the tomato lover. The introductory sections cover tomato history, gardening, and then, the really good stuff: 100 gorgeous photos with detailed descriptions and generally the author's comments on 100 tomato varieties. And not just little photos. EVERY single variety has a huge, full page photo. My tummy was rumbling like crazy reading this.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aker's West Virginia - large plant, high yield, good taste, blemish free fruit, 16 oz, thick strong trunk.

Amish Paste - not a true paste variety as it is too juicy and too many seeds.

Amish Salada - fruit sits for weeks ripe without rotting. Mild flavor, crisp flesh, huge plant, very tolerant of foliage diseases, blemish free fruit, not susceptible to blossom end rot. High yield, cherry tomato.

Andrew Ruhart's Jumbo Red - prone to sunscald, Bright lemon yellow fruit.

Cuostralee - Up to 3 POUNDS in size, consistent producer, tastes great.

Dr. Carolyn - Named after the author. Clusters of 8 cherry sized fruits, pale ivory to yellow color, strong well balanced flavor. Foliage resistant to disease.

Dr. Lyle - Consistent high yield production. Only variety with gray green and regular leaf foliage. This may be the reason for its increased resistance to foliage diseases.

Druzba - Best choice for organic gardeners as it is resistant to every foliage disease. Balanced flavor, up to 16 oz fruits in clusters of 3 - 5.

German Red Strawberry - Best aroma and flavor of all heirlooms. 16 oz fruits.

Heidi - Ideal paste tomato. Resistant to every foliage disease even ones common to paste tomatoes. Rich tomato flavor, thick fruit, few seeds. 4 oz fruits in clusters of 4 - 5.

Lida Ukranian - Not sweet, but full bodied like most old varieties. Fruit keeps well on the vine. No cracking or foliage disease.

Manyel - Yellow 10 - 16 oz fruits, lemony and sweet. Best tasting yellow variety. Prone to cracking and sunscald.

Mule Team - Always blemish free fruit.

Olena Ukranian - large blemish free fruit. 1 - 2 pounds. Most resistant tomato to early blight. Red, late ripening.

Omar's Lebanese - Red 4 POUND FRUITS. Tastes great.

Pink Ping Pong - Very productive disease resistant cherry tomato. 3 - 4 oz fruits.

Red Pear - Average flavor. More tolerant of early blight. Blemish free fruit.

Riesentraube - 1 oz cherry fruits, with clusters of 20 - 40. 100s of blossoms on the plant. Blemish free fruit, complex full flavor like beefstakes.

Tangella - 2 - 3 oz tangy and zesty flavor. Firm fruit doesn't split. Deep orange colored globes in clusters of 9. Blemish free fruit.

Wuhib - 4 oz fruits in clusters of 5 - 7. From Ethiopia and withstands high temperatures. Paste variety that stays on vine without spoiling.

Yellow Pear - 1 - 2 oz yellow pear shaped fruits. Mild flavor. Mostly for looks. Not susceptible to blossom end rot.

Zrogola - Full bodied flavor. Disease resistant, withstands drought and heavy rains.

[Nan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This small book was so enlightening--not just in regard to heirloom tomatoes (fermentation is the best way to obtain seeds) but tomatoes in general (not all yellowing, dying leaves are a sign of impending doom). The author details the origin and history of a hundred different popular and interesting heirloom tomatoes, some of recent vintage and others that have been passed around for several hundred years. And I appreciate the beautiful photos, esp the fact that some of the fruit are cracked and mishapen, just like you would find in your own garden. I'm already thinking, "Next year...."

[Maureen Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had this book for a couple of years and I make notes in it as I grow the tomatoes Dr. Male has written about. In the spring it goes with me to farmers markets as I search for new things to try in my own garden. Love this book, and there are few who know as much about growing heirloom tomatoes as Dr. Male. A must own for heirloom tomato obsessed gardeners like myself.

[Lanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book because I have grown hundreds of heirloom tomatoes, and haven't heard of MANY of the varieties. However, aa decade or so after it's initial printing, some of the varieties highlighted just are not easy to find. I would recommend Craig LeHoullier's "Epic Tomatoes" instead.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a permanent place on my shelves and a go-to for gardening inspiration. Over the years I have grown many of the tomatoes mentioned in the book. And am proud to say, Craig LeHouiller mentioned in the book, is where I get most of my seedlings from every year.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent gardening reference. By no means a comprehensive listing of heirloom tomatoes, but then it was not intended to cover all heirloom varieties. It contains a lot of solid and useful information presented in a readable format. The excellent photos of each heirloom tomato enhances the reading experience.

[Alaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent information on seed saving and selecting for/creating your own variety of tomato. I learned that concentric rings are actually a genetic trait for some cultivars and can used as a means for identification. All this time, I thought it was because I over watered--but no, some types are just pre-disposed to cracking. I wish there was more about the different gentetic traits, but I'll have to do my own research. I wash this book was not out of print; this is something I'd like on my bookshelf, to refrence from time to time.

[Magila · Rating 5 out of 5]

i defy you to find a better book about tomatoes and heirloom tomato gardening. obviously not for everyone - but yes, the pictures are awesome. also maybe the best part, the back has seed source info.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pictures are the best things in this book about heirloom tomaoes. A really helpful book.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on heirloom tomatoes; a classic!

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like photos and descriptions of heirloom tomatoes, then you would like this book.

[Jhawn]

"covers facets of raising, including when to platn seeds & transplant seedlings, ways to prevent foliage diseases, cultivation, propagation & more."