A Heirloom Tribute
Heirloom tomatoes are known for some very distinct qualities, color, flavor, shape and name. We have adopted the term “so ugly so good” in our description of this group of nightshades belonging to the genus Lycopersicon. Heirloom tomatoes generally are 50-100 year old varieties with names that reflect their heritage.
We recently learned that the last surviving veteran of WW1 Frank Buckles passed away at 110 years old. He was born when William McKinley was our 25th president and the nation of Australia was created. At his birth farmers comprised 38% of the nation’s workforce and the population was nearly 75 million. When he died the number in the Whitehouse was 44, the population over 300 million and the farmer population was a mere 75,000 or 1/4 %. Heirloom tomatoes were confined to small farms and flavor had receded to being a faint memory for most.
We have always aspired to being the preeminent heirloom tomato farm in our area and growing the best most flavorful, colored splattered, ugly, unique, varieties of heirloom tomatoes available. Additionally we would like to be able to name an heirloom in honor of someone. We are proposing that an heirloom be named in the honor of the last WW1 vet, Frank Buckles. We have contacted Gary Ibsen at Tomato Fest, who is a source for 100’s of varieties of heirloom tomato seeds to see if his operation might be game.
Do you have a favorite heirloom tomato? Let us know!
We recently learned that the last surviving veteran of WW1 Frank Buckles passed away at 110 years old. He was born when William McKinley was our 25th president and the nation of Australia was created. At his birth farmers comprised 38% of the nation’s workforce and the population was nearly 75 million. When he died the number in the Whitehouse was 44, the population over 300 million and the farmer population was a mere 75,000 or 1/4 %. Heirloom tomatoes were confined to small farms and flavor had receded to being a faint memory for most.
We have always aspired to being the preeminent heirloom tomato farm in our area and growing the best most flavorful, colored splattered, ugly, unique, varieties of heirloom tomatoes available. Additionally we would like to be able to name an heirloom in honor of someone. We are proposing that an heirloom be named in the honor of the last WW1 vet, Frank Buckles. We have contacted Gary Ibsen at Tomato Fest, who is a source for 100’s of varieties of heirloom tomato seeds to see if his operation might be game.
Do you have a favorite heirloom tomato? Let us know!
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