Subtomatoan Homesick Blues

Tomatoes have always been my favorite food. Even when I was very little, if ever I would slip off, it was more than likely Moms would find me in my Papaw's garden eating tomatoes. There I would hide among the vines, chomping away on that wonderful juicy goodness. The tomatoes you can find in the city are okay, but they aren't fantastic.
Every summer I wait to pounce on the Whole Foods and Ballduci produce section for that brief moment when they have Heirloom Tomatoes; or as I prefer to call them: the closest thing to perfection one could ever hope for. My Papaw grew heirlooms and I believe it's time for a little tomato history lesson.
Heirloom Tomatoes have many distinguishing features and some are up for debate. There are a few different kinds of heirlooms, and I'm going to tell you about Family Heirlooms...
Family Heirloom tomatoes are literally grown from the seeds of yesteryear. Tomato seeds were spread either naturally, a tomato would fall from a vine and the seeds would begin to grow, or farmers and gardeners would save the seeds of truly wonderful tomatoes and plant them the next year. Primarily, in the grocery store, we have hybrid tomatoes with seeds created to be heartier and stand up to transport, bugs and other such things.
Heirloom seeds are not manipulated, gathered from tomatoes, saved, and planted year after year through many generations. Every year, tomato seeds are saved for next year's planting, thus preserving that particular varietal. Most heirloom varietals are over 50 years old.
Papaw grew tomatoes from the seeds grown by his father. My favorites include Yellow Zebra, Earl's Faux and the Hillbilly; each is amazingly different. Earl's faux has a big, zesty acidic flavor. The Hillbilly is very sweet and I suspect embodies the reasoning of why a tomato is really a fruit.
Yellow Zebra is quite special as it is the tomato my Papaw taught me about when he first found me in his garden, tomato juice up to my elbows and spread, along with my grin, from ear to ear. Rather than chastise me, Papaw told me it was his favorite, too and explained how 'Pop', his father, had planted the same tomatoes so many years before. The Yellow Zebra is a glorious combination of red and yellow, blending perfectly the zesty and the sweet. Much like Papaw, the Yellow Zebra is candy on the inside with a big bit of bite to make sure you won't ever forget about it.
Heirlooms come in a rainbow of colors including green, purple, red, brown, yellow, orange, stripes and speckles of every combination. Many are downright ugly; last week I witnessed a woman at the market point to a beauty and compare it to intestines. She made a face and turned on her heel. After a brief inspection, I rescued the offender who later made for a delicious meal. With the many colors of heirlooms, the best way to tell if one is ripe is by feel and smell. Unlike the regular hybrid tomatoes from the grocery store, you cannot tell by color. A green tomato can be very ripe and a purple tomato nowhere ready to eat. If it is fragrant and soft to the touch, it's ready. Hold them; smell them; wait for them to tell you they are ready.
And I am ready to make my way back home for some good hugs and great tomatoes.
Is it any wonder heirloom tomatoes make me homesick?