Try heirloom tomatoes and you won't go back

   Dennis Schlicht is a man of persuasion. I spent a mere hour in his garden and came away thinking, I HAVE to grow heirloom tomatoes. “Once you grow them, you won't grow hybrids,” Schlicht said. “They're so interesting and different.”  Schlicht, who lives in Center Point, is an heirloom tomato aficionado, along with his pal, Bob King, also of Center Point. The two pulled out one tomato after another for me to sample – Black from Tula, Wild Chiapas, Striped German, Green Zebra, Plum Lemon - plus a few varieties that I didn't have time to jot down.

     “A lot are so juicy, if you don't pop the whole thing in your mouth, it will squirt the people around you,” Schlicht said. Even with a rainy, cool summer, which Schlicht said would negatively affect their flavor, I thought they were tasty.  He allots 3- to 4-feet of space between each plant. Interspersed in his garden are other vegetables and some gorgeous flowers. But it's apparent that the tomatoes are Schlicht's main focus. Seed-saving is important with heirlooms. He and King said they can be placed in a glass with water until it ferments, for a week or so, then rinse well several times and dry them out before placing them in bags – mark carefully, so you know what you're saving. The seeds can stay good for years. Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah offers many heirloom varieties.  

Some companies create heirloom definitions based on date, such as anything older than 50 years, but basically, Seed Savers defines them as plants passed down through the generations. Several tasting events are coming up in September and info will be posted on this blog. An article about heirloom tomatoes – with more photos -  is in the Sunday, August 23, 2009 Gazette.