A Guide to Colorado Tomatoes

One of the reasons many of us shop at the farmers market is for food that actually tastes like food. Peaches full of sweet juice, cucumbers with a nice crunch, and tomatoes that taste like, well, anything at all. 

The joy of that first flavorful heirloom tomato sprinkled with salt in the heat of the summer makes you never want to look at a grocery store tomato again. But, all too quickly we can become used to the bountiful tomato selection at the farmers market. Overwhelmed by tomatoes in every size, shape, and color, it is easy to stick with one or two favorites and not experience what the whole world of tomatoes has to offer. 

To combat this phenomenon and help you enjoy Colorado tomatoes for as much of the year as possible, here is a guide to a few varieties of this fan favorite fruit (yes, it is technically a fruit) and how to use and preserve its delicious flavor.

Heirloom

Recognizable for their funky shapes and colors, heirloom tomatoes are often eaten uncooked to savor their unique flavor. Heirloom plants are always pollinated naturally and grown from seeds that are at least 50 years old. This makes the fruit they produce uniquely adapted to the region, strong in flavor, and deeply tied to cultural heritage – as farmers are able to save seeds and grow the exact tomato that their ancestors once grew.

Heirloom tomatoes can be harder to grow and more prone to damage, which makes them difficult to distribute widely. This makes it all the more special to get them from your local farmers. We recommend eating them in ways that highlight their flavor like sliced with mozzarella and basil or as a delicious bruschetta topping.

San Marzano

Noticeably different in shape, oblong san marzano tomatoes are the perfect sauce or soup tomato. Their flavor is less acidic and they are filled with fewer seeds, resulting in a meatier consistency. This can thicken sauces and soups more effectively than other tomato varieties. San marzanos are also often one of the least expensive tomato varieties you can find at the farmers market, so they are perfect for big canning projects!

Cherry

Sweet, snackable, perfect for all occasions… the cherry tomato! Always a crowd pleaser, we wouldn’t blame you if your cherry tomatoes never made it home from the farmers market. If you do make it home with a few left, try roasting them with olive oil, salt, and a little brown sugar and keeping them on hand as the perfect addition to avocado toast, pasta, omelets, pizza, and more! You can also dehydrate cherry tomatoes and use them as you would use sun dried tomatoes all year long.

Slicers

The quintessential tomato – red, round and delicious, slicers are the most versatile tomato you will find at the farmers market this season. Particularly useful for their intersection of firmness and flavor, slicers will hold up as the perfect burger or sandwich tomato, salad topping, or salsa ingredient.

Whatever kind of tomato you choose to enjoy this season, make sure to preserve your delicious creations to enjoy for more of the year. This could mean freezing fresh tomatoes, dehydrating them, or canning sauces and salsas. Try out this salsa recipe, which can be enjoyed fresh or canned to bring some spicy summer flavor to a cold winter day.

Fresh Salsa Recipe:

Ingredients

3 cups freshly chopped tomatoes

1 cup finely diced onion 

¼ cup minced fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

4 teaspoons chopped fresh jalapeño pepper

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Simply mix all ingredients in a bowl and add more lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste! Enjoy alongside tortilla chips from Boulder Chips or Zia Tortilla Company both available from our online market at shop.bcfm.org.