Brandywine. Speckled Roman. Chocolate Stripe. No, this isn’t the new Martha Stewart paint collection. These are just a few of the many juicy heirloom tomatoes that Carl Hills grows at Kimball Fruit Farm in Pepperell, MA.

You might ask “What exactly is an heirloom tomato?” “How are they different from regular tomatoes?” “How do they differ from each other and what’s the best way to prepare and eat them?” We had these very questions which is why we consulted an expert. There’s nobody more qualified than Carl Hills to answer these questions. We visited him recently at his farm, on the kind of summer day you dream about, to get a walking tour of his acres of heirlooms. Watch our new Heirloom Tomato video. Carl is fascinating and will teach you things about heirlooms you’ll take with you forever. And be sure to watch Carl’s profile to learn about him and his family farm.

What you’ll see when you watch the video is that heirloom varieties cover a lot of territory. You’ll find tomatoes as small as a golf ball and as large as your head (seriously). Red ones, green ones, yellow and orange ones. Some perfectly round or oval. Others kind of bulbous and funky looking.  Cut into any of them and it’ll make you sigh.  So beautiful, juicy and absolutely delicious.  Makes you wish summer would never end.

We hope you enjoy the video as much as we enjoyed our time with Carl at Kimball Fruit Farm. It was truly a memorable experience and we learned so much. Thank you, Carl.

Here are some great ways to put your heirlooms to good use:

• Tomatoes 3 Ways (roasted w/ gratin top, bruschetta in a parmesan tuile cup & simply seasoned)
• Make a Lovely Tomato Rose Garnish (one of our most popular videos!)
• Learn to Core a Tomato so you don’t waste a thing
• Make Roasted Tomatoes you can use for weeks on pizzas, in salads, sauces, etc.

If you get the chance, visit Kimball Fruit Farm sometime. Kimball’s is to tomatoes what the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory is to candy. It’s a tomato lover’s fantasy. In addition to tomatoes, peaches, corn and berries, they have acres and acres of apple trees that will be ripe and juicy around mid-September.

Thanks to Chris Crandall from In Season for introducing us to Carl.

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