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!

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283 comments

  1. Mason
    08.19.2013

    I love to slice an heirloom tomato, spread it on a plate, give it a drizzle with olive oil and balsamic and a sprinkle of fresh basil and sea salt. Yum!

  2. Elissa from rosemaryandoliveoil.com
    08.19.2013

    I made a roasted tomato soup recently…new favorite way to eat garden tomatoes!

  3. rebecca d
    08.19.2013

    my favorite is sliced with fresh mozzarella and basil with balsamic. yum..

  4. Sarah Tucker
    08.19.2013

    I like to make tomato and basil grilled cheese sandwiches, among other things!

  5. Erin
    08.19.2013

    I love to toast some artisan bread, spread on some vegan pesto (pesto without the parmesan), and add the tomatoes, some avocado, spinach, salt and pepper!

  6. Allison
    08.19.2013

    plain, with salt

  7. James from dayoldnews.com
    08.19.2013

    I have to say gazpacho, even though I miss out on all the pretty colors once it is blended up. So yummy though!

  8. Molly
    08.19.2013

    My neighbor brings me about 5 different varieties every week. Right now I’m loving baking them and adding a little olive oil, fresh basil, and Parmesan.

  9. Bre
    08.19.2013

    I have to agree with previous commenters – a fresh Caprese salad can’t be beat. I look forward to it every summer! That said, I made a delicious bruschetta with tomatoes, kalamata olives, and roasted zucchini over the weekend. Not too shabby either. 🙂

  10. sarah
    08.19.2013

    location and type of tomato matter, id est:

    – spicy black prince tomatoes stand up beautifully to tobasco, lime, cilantro, and avocado in a chucky guacamole
    – green zebras work beautifully on a thin pizza with EVOO, a thin layer of smoked mozz, cracked pepper, and cilantro or basil
    – i live in san francisco; our tomato summers feel like winter! a medley of large heirlooms, oven roasted in a soup with pureed roasted peppers, caramelized shallot, a dash of pomegrante molasses and topped with a garlic tapenade is the best way to warm up on a foggy summer’s night!

  11. Cory from endlesslyenraptured.com
    08.19.2013

    Caprese salad: heirlooms sliced fat, basil stackes high, and a thin mozzerela slice with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Then again, heirlooms in my eggplant parm as a sauce is pretty terrific too 😉

  12. Anna
    08.19.2013

    Delicious rustic bread toasted with a simple layer of hummus and the tomatoes sliced as least as thick as the bread – if not thicker!

  13. KathrynK FL
    08.19.2013

    Right out of my garden or in a sandwich

  14. lisa
    08.19.2013

    I love eating them on top of smashed avocado toast. Or in caprese salad with mozzarella, basil and a touch of salt, pepper and olive oil!

  15. Amy
    08.19.2013

    I like them roasted in some olive oil.

  16. kristin
    08.19.2013

    I remember eating sun-warm tomatoes from my grandparents’ backyard garden as a child, and the way we ate them still remains one of my favorites: toasted whole wheat bread, with a swipe of mayo (one of the only places I like it!), thick tomato slices sprinkled with salt and pepper, crisp lettuce, and another slice of bread. The juice from those tomatoes would run down my hands and forearms, and it was heaven.

  17. I love heirloom tomatoes sprinkled with sea salt and layered atop crusty French bread smeared with goat cheese and a little honey. Yum!

    Xoxo,
    Ashley

  18. eve
    08.19.2013

    I’d have to say it’s best to let the tomato speak for itself! A little salt and pepper; a simple caprese salad with some fine buffalo mozzarella or burrata; or in a grilled cheese sandwich with chewy, crusty country/soda bread baked with kalamata olives and guyere and fontina.

  19. Michelle
    08.19.2013

    My favorite way to eat an heirloom tomato is definitely with avocado and goat cheese and fresh bread!

  20. Alissa
    08.19.2013

    If I have fresh ripe heirlooms I love eating them for breakfast sprinkled with fleur de sel and paired with a side of soft scrambled eggs.

    If it’s the end of the season and I have unripe green tomatoes I love roasting them whole (if they’re small or quartered when big) with olive oil and making a sort of rustic tomato chutney. I use it as a topping for many things but I love it on top a batch of homemade baked beans.

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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.