Gary Ibsen - The Great Tomato Book

Yellow Pear

First of all Id like to acknowledge Joan Nielsen for her invaluable assistance. When it came time for me to finally launch myself into writing a book about my experience with growing tomatoes, it was Joans encouragement, knowledge of food, skills as an author, and willingness to join me (and teach me) in the venture that enabled The Great Tomato Book to happen.

In acknowledging my appreciation I return to certain people who have given generously of themselves to me and, in so doing, nurtured my gardeners spirit, supported my inspirations, and brought me to know more of myself: my Aunt Jo, who introduced me to gardening and manifesting dreams; Christine, who loved me well as I grew cabbages and struggled into manhood; Tom Theobald, who has shared much more than the wisdom in wilderness and integrity of friendship, who taught me about our connection and responsibility to the earth; Terrance Glassman, who has shown me the possibility in community and believed in me for thirty years; Colette Cuccia for opening me to the gardening of myself; Bill and Dorothy Dick, who for years provided our community and me with friendliness, farm-fresh eggs, and land to grow tomatoes; Orlando Campisi, who enjoyed his last years sharing the bounty of himself and his garden; Dagma Beth Lacey who, with me, has tilled and planted fertile fields and shared in such wondrous harvests; Robert, Nick, Joe, Jessica, and Jake Hunton for letting me share in their lives; Peter Sealey for his years of friendship and marketing acumen; Joan Dew, who gave up the wildlife of Los Angeles to join me as editor of Adventures In Dining magazine and helped me turn it into an award-winning medium of integrity; John Teixeira, who has shared his land, his generations of experience, and his passion for organic farming; Tony Medeiros and Tom DiMare of The DiMare Company for the opportunity to learn from their years of growing tomatoes for the worlds marketplace and their sponsorship of the TomatoFest; the beloved men (and gardeners all) of Pegasus, Donald Mathews, Tony Tollner, David Martin, Gerard Rose, and Allen Kemmerer; the garden helpers and friends, Elizabeth Smith, Michael Carini, Philadelphia Welz, Nancy Fleming, Sidney Slade, Lynne Nadolski, Betty Hill, Jim Gallivan, Ray and Betty Bergerac, Jim Gregg, and Ginna Bell Bragg; and to Jackie Lyons, Greg Burford, Felice Larmer, Gary and Suzy Rubin, Susan Draper, Linda and Mike Stemmler, and Shelly Schachter for the lessons and loving contribution to the garden of my life.

To the many tomato lovers and friends from the hospitality, agricultural, restaurant, and wine communities who have said yes to me for many years and have supported the TomatoFest; the many talented cooks who generously contributed their recipes; the family farms that have provided nourishing food and homegrown heirloom tomatoes to Americas neighborhoods; the soil conservationists; and to the people who provided us the legacy of their seeds thank you.

A special thank you to Julia Child for her generosity, good humor, and personal dedication to improving our understanding and experience of food, and for the many enjoyable years of friendship.

An Introduction to the Tomato

Growing tomatoes has been one of my favorite pastimes in my adult lifea hobby that has nourished me personally and been richly rewarding to share with my family and friends.

Like most home gardeners, I used to select the variety of tomatoes I grew based on what commercial seeds were available at the local garden shop. These were usually the most popular hybrid varieties distributed by the nations largest seed suppliers. I considered myself fortunate if my selection included a couple of early season varieties, two or three beefsteaks, a paste, and a cherry tomato. Life was simple then, if not narrow, considering my limited experience with tomatoes. And then I discovered heirloom tomatoes.

I was introduced to the exciting and flavorful world of heirloom tomatoes by an elderly Portuguese gentleman who, upon retiring, spent most of his last years in his garden. He delighted in generously sharing his harvest with curious neighbors seduced into his bountiful backyard. He patiently impressed upon me the importance of healthy soil and proper nutrients to produce the tastiest of tomatoes and started sending me home with some of his extra seedlings. With names like Costoluto Genovese and Old Flame, these tomatoes date back generations and come from all parts of the worldseeds were handed down from family member to family member because the quality and taste of the fruit were considered precious heirlooms.

And so my passion for growing tomatoes began. Since my growing space was limited, I would plant tomato seedlings anywhere that had adequate sunlight, often along the whole southern exposure of my house. With vines tied to the rain gutters, every window of the house was covered in a tapestry of tomatoes by mid-season. At harvest time I would invite a few friends who shared my passion for the old-fashioned tomato flavors to a tasting. Many were professional chefs who were equally excited about these rediscovered flavors and explored them with originality in their tomato dishes. And so it began. First with ten gueststhen each year thereafter, as the word spread to others in the community, the size of the tasting expanded along with the number of tomato dishes that guests contributed.