There I was at the Olney Farmers Market, chatting with Tom Farquhar of Sandy Spring Gardens, one of our organic growers, discussing tomatoes. He mentioned a theory of his, about why field-grown tomatoes taste better than those grown in greenhouses or high tunnels. I’d heard it before, but it has more credence coming from a farmer: the stress field-grown tomatoes encounter from changes in temperature, moisture and sunshine combine to make them tastier than those that lead a comparatively pampered life.
He offered me two examples of a variety called Cherokee Carbon to taste-test myself, one field-raised and one from indoors, on the condition that I report the results back to him. Now, I’d be the first to admit that this tiny sample of test subjects (two), and experimenter (one) is highly unscientific. But was I about to refuse two free tomatoes? No, I was not.
First, though, a little background. Although I’d long been acquainted with one of the parents of this hybrid heirloom, the Cherokee Purple, the other was new to me. A little googling showed me that I’m not as up on my heirlooms as I thought I was. Carbon is not some brand-new discovery. The Cherokee Carbon is available from a bunch of growers, and comes highly recommended. Here is the description from the Gardens Alive! site:
A cross between two heirlooms, Cherokee Purple and Carbon Tomatoes, Cherokee Carbon Hybrid Tomato is one of the best-flavored tomatoes we’ve tasted. The 10-12 ounce, purple beefsteak fruits have a wonderfully complex flavor. They’re excellent for eating fresh and tomato sandwiches. A 2005 “Heirloom Garden Show” best-tasting tomato award winner, Cherokee Carbon is an early variety that produces high yields of fruits with less cracking and blemishing. The indeterminate plants grow 5-7 feet tall and require staking. 75 to 80 days to maturity.
So they’ve been around since at least 2005. What have I been missing?
The tomatoes Tom gave me could be described as “ugly,” which we cognoscenti know is just a synonym for “much tastier than big, unblemished, bright red fruit.” They were on the small side according to the Gardens Alive! description, weighing in at 4-5 ounces each. They were also dead ripe, begging to be eaten right away, so I got to it.
I just used a sprinkle of salt over all, and consumed each piece, alternating the test subjects. They were both delicious. I would welcome either one as part of a sandwich, salad or just on its own. But as for which tasted better? At least for these two individual fruits, the field-grown tomato had more complexity of taste, a greater depth of flavor, than the other. You’re right, Tom! Field-grown is the winner!
