Due to the elections in May occupying both village halls, we held our meeting at St Mary’s church in Fowlmere. David & Claire Hinckley delivered a very interesting talk on the benefits of growing heritage tomatoes, their history, varieties and cultivation. To be classed as “heritage”, the tomatoes need to have been grown continuously for over 50 years. The fruit was introduced to Europe in the 1500’s from South America. Amongst the rich, tomatoes were thought to be poisonous, until it was discovered that the acid in the fruit reacted with the pewter plates used for serving. They are open pollinators and will always grow true when seeds are kept and replanted or the shoots propagated. This is unlike the mass-produced F1 Hybrids grown for our supermarket shelves that are cloned for heavy cropping and longer shelf life but lack the flavour.
Heritage/heirloom tomatoes vary greatly in shape, size, colour and are more flavoursome. David showed us a chart of some of the varieties he grows: Black Beauty- a very dark variety with almost black skin, giving the fruit a higher level of anthocyanin, an antioxidant that has been used in natural remedies for generations and has many health benefits. The red varieties contain another antioxidant, lycopene. Melon Liqueur- is a large heart-shaped fruit with orange stripes and packed with beta carotene. Claire explained that although cooking destroys lot of the vitamins, there is benefit when cooked in oil, as this will make the lycopene more soluble and therefore increase absorption in the diet.
Some commercially grown plants can produce fruit for up to 2 years and can grow to many metres high. The ideal temperature is 23 degrees and consistent watering to avoid Blossom End Rot. Feeding once a week with high potash is also an important factor. David mentioned the “Hutton Criteria” .It is used to predict if blight may occur at the end of summer. This happens when we get 2 consecutive days of temperature of 10 degrees and at least 6 hours of humidity above 90%. It is best to pick the fruit with a twist in the morning, before the heat of the day sets in. It is recommended to store the fruit at room temperature rather than in the fridge.
So why not try growing some heritage tomatoes and experience their superior flavour. There are over 3,000 varieties available in the world. If you are undecided, look at the website : www.tomato revolution.co.uk
