Looking for a tomato that is anything but basic? Try heirloom tomato varieties. “Heirloom” doesn’t refer to one specific type of tomato. It’s a general term for varieties of tomatoes that have been passed down between gardeners for generations. They vary in size, shape, color and flavor.
You’ll often see clusters of tomatoes on the vine sold at the grocery store. These medium-sized tomatoes are versatile. You can slice them up for sandwiches, cut them into wedges to add to a green salad or dice them to make fresh salsa at home.
These tomatoes get their name not only for their cherry size, but also for their sweetness. Despite being tiny, these tomatoes can do a lot. They’re perfect to use in appetizers and salads, or even just for snacking.
Known as plum tomatoes, you might also see these oblong tomatoes labeled as Roma tomatoes. Big on sweetness but also acidity, they have a lower moisture and water content than most other tomatoes, so they work well when canned, thrown on the grill or used in a fresh tomato soup.
San Marzano tomatoes are a variety of plum tomatoes. They have a sweet flavor and are low in acid, which makes them a great candidate for pasta sauces. They do cost a bit more than other tomato varieties, but they are worth splurging on if you’re making a great homemade spaghetti sauce like Nonna used to make.
With their small size, thin skin and sweet flavor, grape tomatoes are similar to their cherry-sized cousins. Anytime you see a recipe with cherry tomatoes, feel free to sub in this varietal instead.
You may have seen dark-hued tomato plants popping up at your local garden center. These almost-black and purple tomatoes are a particular heirloom variety that has gained popularity over the past few years.
Pear tomatoes, much like cherry and grape tomatoes, are tiny and sweet. This varietal has thin skin, which makes it great for salads and snacking.
Green tomatoes are just unripe tomatoes. Gardeners are often left with a glut of these tomatoes at the end of the season when the weather is too cold to ripen the last of the fruit on the vine.