Heirloom Tomato Success

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the annual Seed Savers Exchange Tomato Festival in Decorah, Iowa. This is an event that I look forward to every year, especially since I've realized the importance of eating fresh and locally. The heirloom flavors are unsurpassed and the folklore of some of these variety names sure keeps things interesting.

There is really nothing like having a number of home gardeners, foodies, and chefs uniting to talk tomatoes and other heirloom vegetables. Some people may call the heirlooms a trend or fad, but I believe they are here for the long haul.

Heirlooms from my garden 

Sampling of 70+ heirloom tomatoes

We tasted over 70 varieties of tomatoes. Each variety seemed to have a slightly different flavor and a rich history. Some tomato varieties were from generations of family farmers across the country who eventually donated seeds to Seed Savers Exchange for preservation. Other seeds came from overseas in war torn areas, and were smuggled out as owners were fleeing for safety. These seeds were important enough to be saved year after year, unlike today's seeds which can be the result of laboratory experiments. These genetically modified organisms (GMO's), sometimes have their exact gene sequences patented and are resistant to any chemical under the sun. And, if you're a farmer in the next field over to a patented GMO crop, minding your own business looking after your own crops and some cross pollination happens- look out. This has happened and some farmers have lost everything because of legal action from some large seed companies, just because the patented gene shows up in the crop unintentially. Enough of my rant, but I'm am very opposed to GMO's (and in full disclosure actually married to a patent examiner, who really is interested in the gardens as much as I am).  I just want to go back to a simpler time- where you could trust where your food came from, care less about pushing the limits on yields per acre, or the latest salmonella or listeria outbreak, and actually have a healthier, flavorful meal. Maybe some of my childhood memories of gardening with my great- grandma and grandma play into this... but it is just the link I need with the heirlooms. These are all reasons I caught the heirloom bug.

Here are some other pics of the event:

Beautiful Iowa barn at Heritage Farm

Benary's Giant Zinnia 

Ruby Moon Hyacinth Bean