Heirloom Tomatoes

martha cinader

It’s still tomato season around here, and I’ve done many things with the baskets of tomatoes yielded by about two dozen tomato vines. There are a variety of them, grown from starters that were purchased in our area. I’ve canned tomato sauce, paste, salsa, and BBQ sauce. But there’s also some heirloom varieties available around here, and a few years ago we started growing some Cherokee Purple that I discovered at the Farmer’s Market.

IMG_2393

According to a story from NPR, the original seeds did indeed come from the Cherokees. Mostly they don’t grow picture perfect. They have a purple tinge to them and are really meaty and delicious.  I don’t throw them into the crockpot to stew down. Instead I reserve them to eat fresh in sandwiches and salads. When they  first started coming in I had too many to try to keep them all fresh, so I canned them whole for a winter treat. They are easy to skin, which is necessary when canning. I was able to do it without first dipping them in boiling water. I hope the result will be a less mushy tomato when I open the jar. (I won’t be able to tell you about that until I open one in a few months. 🙂 )

Our major tomato crop from the big field is almost over, but I have a couple young Cherokee Purples planted in my kitchen garden that I am hoping will give us its last fresh Cherokee Purples around Thanksgiving time.

Related Posts:


  • wildflowers by Beverly Parayno

    wildflowers by Beverly Parayno

    The uncut video interview by Tony Robles in Hendersonville, NC who speaks with Beverly Parayno in Cameron Park, CA, about her book of short stories: wildflowers. Read more

  • Give it to the Light

    Give it to the Light

    Shrink the feeling of shame until it fits in the palm of your hand. Offer it up to the Light of the Universe. Imagine the light absorbing the nasty feeling. See it vanish before your eyes, and feel RELIEF wash though you! Read more

  • Fiction Addiction, Beverly Parayno, Edwin Torres

    Fiction Addiction, Beverly Parayno, Edwin Torres

    Jill Hendrix, owner of Fiction Addiction bookstore. Beverly Parayno author of wildflowers. Edwin Torres, spoken word. Read more

  • Wednesday, May 24 on WPVM 103.7 FM

    Wednesday, May 24 on WPVM 103.7 FM

    Hosted from WPVMfm 103.7 in Asheville, Wednesday at 4pm, featuring a conversation about books and the book business with Jill Hendrix, owner of Fiction Addiction bookstore in Greenville, SC. Tony Robles speaks from Hendersonville, NC with Beverly Parayno in Cameron Park, CA, about her book of short stories: wildflowers Read more

  • Gun Talk

    And here, 3000 miles away in the warehouse where I work, they are talking guns Read more

  • Reebee dedoo dada

    The uncut video interview by Tony Robles, who speaks with multi-media artist Filey Matias, author of Reebee dedoo dada, Redhawk Publications, a story of song and the freedom to be oneself! Reebee, dedoo, dada is a book about bullying and how it takes a village to beat one. Read more

%d bloggers like this: