All About Heirloom Tomatoes

Ideas for serving and cooking with the many types of heirloom tomatoes.

heirloom tomato varieties / loveandlemons.com

I’m hoping you’re not tomato-ed out yet! Today, I want to share a little info & inspiration about a few heirloom tomato varieties. (These are the ones I used in last week’s salad). They have such fun names, don’t they?

And for more recipe ideas, check out the Whole Foods heirloom tomato pinboard that I’ve been pinning to over the last few weeks:

heirloom tomato pinboard
image sources: midwest living / mission delectable / a couple cooks
foodie crush / whole foods market / the devil wears parsley

( This giveaway is now closed. )
Win a $50 Whole Foods gift card. Just leave a comment below telling me about your favorite way to eat heirloom tomatoes!

This post is in partnership with Whole Foods Market. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that support Love & Lemons. Giveaway ends 8/22/13. Open to US residents only.

283 comments

  1. jessica
    08.19.2013

    on toast with avocado and salt and pepper!

  2. Charlotte Senn
    08.19.2013

    There is no bad way to eat heirloom tomatoes, but my favorite in in a BLT. Dense artisan bread sliced thin, lightly toasted, good smoky bacon, lots of crisp lettuce, and big thick slices of tomato. It wall definitely drip down your arm, but that’s OK.

  3. Katie M
    08.19.2013

    Anything tomato and avocado. Right now my obsession is a piece of toasted Ezekiel bread topped with a generous amount of avocado and tomato slices and a dash of pepper. So simple. So good.

  4. carolyn!!
    08.19.2013

    picking hot sunken cherry tomatoes straight off the sheet pan after being oven-roasted with olive oil, salt and a little maple syrup.

  5. jackie
    08.19.2013

    I have never been much of a fan of raw tomatoes, but heirlooms have changed my opinion! To really savor the tomato flavor, I like them sliced with salt!

  6. Allison
    08.19.2013

    I love to eat them in a new heirloom tomato tart recipe I recently found. I’m dreading the day tomato season is over!

  7. Tori
    08.19.2013

    Slice tomatoes (for cherry tomatoes) or cut in largish chunks (for large tomatoes) and toss with generous amounts of minced garlic and fruity olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and let sit at room temp for a couple of hours. Cook bowtie pasta (or some other appealing shape) until al dente, toss with a little olive oil, and mix with the tomatoes, lots of torn basil leaves, and crumbled feta cheese. Simple and scrumptious.

  8. Erin
    08.19.2013

    Simple and refreshing salsa!

  9. Annie from anniefargo.blogspot.com
    08.19.2013

    you can’t go wrong with a simple caprese salad! or just sliced with fresh cracked pepper + salt.

  10. Heather
    08.19.2013

    I love them in a quick and simple bruschetta – a little garlic, oil, balsamic and spices. Slice a nice crusty baguette, brush with oil and pop in broiler for a few. Yum!

  11. Katie from Realhungergames.wordpress.com
    08.19.2013

    I love them sliced with a little olive oil, basil, and ground pepper! Simple is sometimes best!

  12. Desi from steaknpotatoeskindagurl.blogspot.com
    08.19.2013

    Love em with salt and pepper, and avocado and onion. Delish!

  13. Lauren from breatheandnourish.com
    08.19.2013

    There’s a great pasta salad recipe that I love with avocado, corn, and heirloom tomatoes! Or I also love Choosing Raw’s recipe for pancakes with a side of a mango salsa that includes these tomatoes as well.

  14. meg
    08.19.2013

    Simple bruschetta, but I go to a local store that sells artesian olive oils & vinegars & get several different types to drizzle over the tomatoes > get creative! Bonus points for fresh herbs on top

  15. Jennifer
    08.19.2013

    In a salad with fresh corn and avocado!

  16. Alexandra
    08.19.2013

    I think heirloom tomatoes shine the most with just a drizzle of olive oil, some fresh cracked pepper, and some fresh-from-the-garden basil on top! I also love using them as a homemade pizza topping with some mozzarella.

  17. cheri
    08.19.2013

    Sliced with buffalo mozzarella, avacado and red onion, then drizzled with olive oil and a bit a red wine vinegar, fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper. After we’re tired of that we also make bread salads ’til we’re stuffed.

  18. Maytinee
    08.19.2013

    Bruschetta is a guilty pleasure…especially when heirloom tomatoes are used!

  19. Erika from thepancakeprincess.com
    08.19.2013

    I think I ate my first heirloom tomato in Paris, so my favorite way to eat them would have to be the first way I discovered how to eat them: with a little comte cheese on a fresh baguette!

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.