Beyond Red and Round: Heirloom Tomatoes with Extraordinary Color and Flavor

"Home grown tomatoes... only two things money can't buy: true love and home grown tomatoes." —John Denver (via Guy Clark). Step past the round red supermarket tomato and discover a rainbow of shapes, colors, and flavors. Here are personal favorites—each a unique experience worth repeating every season.

Cherokee Purple

Not truly purple—pinkish-brown, almost "rotten" looking. But bite in: sweet, mild yet intense flavor. Small beefsteak size, firm, meaty, great slicers. Productive all summer. Named for the Cherokee Nation where seeds originated.

Jaune Flammee

Salad-sized, deep orange skin, redder interior. Hangs in trusses of 6–8. Early ripening with full, big-tomato flavor. First ripe tomato ritual: eat barefoot in the garden, toes in warm dirt. Market farmers love it—early, flavorful, beautiful on a plate.

Kellogg's Breakfast

Monstrous orange fruits, huge flavor. One slice covers a large bread slice. Shatters the "yellow/orange = bland" myth. Great with bologna and red onion on hearty bread. Green shoulders and irregular shapes overlooked for full flavor. Makes stunning colorful salsa.

Lucky Cross

Bi-color showstopper: large golden beefsteaks streaked/striped with red, marbled interior. Mild fruity flavor with true tomato backbone. First plate empty at any potluck. Thin skins bruise easily—never in supermarkets. Transport max two layers deep for markets. Very productive for a bi-color; fruits reliably >1 lb.

Aunt Ruby's German Green

Ripens green! Develops golden blush; yields to gentle squeeze when ripe. Fresh flavor with pleasant tomato "bite." Productive. Great salsa (use red peppers for "reverse" look). Hard to convince neighbors, but converts become fans—chefs love them.

Sources: Seed Savers Exchange, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Tomato Growers Supply (all excellent service). Many more varieties await—color outside the lines and experiment.