In Search of an Ugly Tomato

We all have biases about food, how it should look and how it should taste. Some people will see the green, cracked shoulders of a Pineapple Tomato and think it’s bad. Or wait for a beautiful Aunt Ruby’s Green Tomato to turn red, only to see it rot on the windowsill.

Heirloom tomatoes weren’t bred for shelf-life, uniformity or color. Many are oddly shaped with unusual colors ranging from brownish purple to florescent green. The larger tomatoes crack if the balance of rain and sun slips out of alignment. Sometimes, they have bug wholes that need to be cut away. But the flavor is unparalleled.

Even though I labeled the tomatoes in my garden this year, the rains washed away the writing on the little signs. The only variety I recognize with certainty is the pineapple, with its yellowish streaks and reddish hue. In a side by side taste test with other tomatoes, I decided I like this best for its sweet, juicy flavor and lower acidity. The tomatoes are so large that a single tomato will make a generous salad for two people.

After eating the first two in a simple salad, I made a grilled cheese sandwich with the next ripe one. Interestingly, the low acidity I treasured so much straight, made the grilled cheese sandwich too rich. A more acidic tomato would have better balanced the cheese and buttered bread.