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

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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. lynn
    08.19.2013

    All the classic tomato dishes are better with superior tasting tomatoes.

  2. Susan
    08.19.2013

    I like to slice them and sprinkle them with a bit of Li Hing powder (plum powder). It’s so delicious!

  3. Amy
    08.19.2013

    I love to use them in quinoa tabbouleh. It doesn’t seem like the tomatoes would matter that much there, but really juicy, flavorful heirlooms make such a difference! They help make kind of a dressing with the olive oil and lemon juice. So good in the summer. 🙂

  4. Not super exciting, but delicious: I like eating a plate of sliced tomatoes sprinkled with sea salt! Divine!

  5. Christine P from fightingfluorescents.wordpress.com
    08.19.2013

    I love using them in salads – they add color and you barely need much salad dressing. Just some olive and vinegar for this girl!

  6. I am a HUGE fan of heirloom tomatoes. They make a perfect addition to any pasta dish, and also mixed up in a fresh salad. My favorite way to eat them is as a caprese salad with fresh basil and mozzarella. Or in a salad like the tomato and avocado one you posted.

  7. Alyssa
    08.19.2013

    I recently made a tomato-ricotta tart with some beautiful heirloom tomatoes. I added some lemon basil to complement the fresh tomatoes—pretty tasty!

  8. Elissah
    08.19.2013

    With slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, basil, and balsamic vinegar!

  9. Mary
    08.19.2013

    Cut up with a little salt on them. Best yet right off the vine, just pop them in my mouth…..delicious!

  10. Emily
    08.19.2013

    With basil and fresh mozzarella

  11. Stephanie
    08.19.2013

    My husband hates tomatoes but I love them, so have to sneak them into my lunches. Love sliced or diced with balsamic, olive oil, basil, pepper and pearl-sized fresh mozzarella!

  12. Jennifer from blog.jchongstudio.com
    08.19.2013

    cherry heirlooms are my favorite! i just eat them like cherrys 🙂 without the pits!

  13. jessica c
    08.19.2013

    i like to use them in bruschetta

  14. I absolutely LOVE making my husband’s favorite pasta sauce using fresh heirloom tomatoes and basil.

  15. Elise
    08.19.2013

    I just made them in a rustic ratatouille yesterday with eggplant, zucchini, onion, peppers and a bit of balsamic/garlic/basil/rosemary/thyme. It was fantastic!

  16. Harini
    08.19.2013

    I like using heirloom tomatoes in a salad along with other tasty summer produce, corn and basil.

  17. Kel
    08.19.2013

    On bruschetta. thanks — your pics are lovely!

  18. I’ve been so enamored with heirlooms lately that I’ve been pairing them with everything — my absolute favorites are either plain and simply sliced with a sprinkle of sea salt, in a hearty unblended gazpacho jam-packed with veggies, or in my mom’s classic southern tomato pie recipe — the mayo’s totally worth it in this recipe!

  19. Whitney Forbus
    08.19.2013

    I enjoy mixing sungold and brandywines with fresh mozzarella. Beautiful presentation and taste!

  20. Kirsten C
    08.19.2013

    In a panini with some fresh mozzarella cheese and basil from my (very small) garden. Yum!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
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.