Grape tomatoes trump cherry variety in produce aisle
Pat Ernst Dugan
July 7, 2005

Just as in the high-tech world of computers and the Internet, so to the modern produce industry is constantly looking for and developing new product variations.

Before 2001, grape tomatoes played a very small role in the produce section of grocery stores. Today, because of their sugary-sweet flavor, their one-bite size, their squirt-free nature and the fact that kids love them, the cherry tomato now takes the back shelf in the produce aisle.
And just as in the world of big business today, fierce competition and intrigue pervade the produce world. The case of the grape tomato is one such example.

The tastiest variety comes from the Santa F1 seed, the industry standard. It’s a hybrid. That means that crossing two different parent varieties created this first-generation seed; consequently, the seed saved from an F1 hybrid will not produce the same tasty tomatoes as the original seed.

When Procacci, a very large produce company in Philadelphia, realized the great grape tomato potential, it bought an exclusive on the Santa variety. This left other farmers scrambling for the seed and searching for other successful varieties or finding themselves left out of the new tomato wave.

Grape tomatoes are a labor-intensive crop. Whereas a farm worker might pick 200 buckets of large round tomatoes in a day, only 25 buckets of small grape tomatoes can be harvested in the same day. The rambling vine plants grow up to 7 feet tall and must be staked every two feet. Compared to the yield of cherry tomato plants, each grape tomato plant yields about 50 percent less.
Cherry tomato seeds for the most part are heirloom varieties. They are generally cross-pollinated, a true-
breeding variety that has been around for a while. Patio tomato plants are a fun family project. Heirloom seeds for yellow and pear-shaped cherry tomatoes are available online through the family farms listed with Local Harvest. (www.localharvest.org.)
Local Harvest is the No. 1 informational source for the Buy Local movement quietly sweeping across the United States. The Web site provides a directory of small farms, farmers markets and local food sources. The farmers markets in Bath, Corning, Elmira, Montour Falls and Watkins Glen are listed on this national site.
Grape tomatoes definitely win in the taste race, especially served as part of a fresh vegetable platter, slightly sprinkled with kosher salt after washing in cold water. To doctor-up deli potato salad, simply cut tomatoes in half and enjoy the colorful flavor addition.
Forget Three Bean Salad; introduce your family to Jeweled Two Bean Salad. Simply simmer whole green and yellow beans for about eight minutes in salted water (until al dente) and drain; stir in the jewels, that is, halved grape tomatoes; and toss with zesty Italian dressing.
Cherry tomatoes, however, are easier to stuff, to saute and stuff into peppers. Recently, in a hurry to prepare appetizers for our hungry book club, I cut vine-grown cherry tomatoes in half, squeezed out the seeds and sprinkled them with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Then I stuffed them (using a pointed-end grapefruit spoon) with a light cream cheese/blue cheese mixture. Fast and classy!
Sauteing cherry tomatoes is a quick fix, colorful and easy herbed addition to a plate of grilled chicken. To a medium-hot saute pan coated with two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, add a package of washed and stemmed whole cherry tomatoes.
When the tomatoes are warmed through, about 5 minutes (stirring often), sprinkle and toss them in the pan with a mixture of 1 cup dry bread crumbs, 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley and fresh basil, along with 1 large clove of minced garlic. Saute one more minute. Hot and sweet!

Pat Ernst Dugan is a private chef, educator and food/recipe writer. E-mail her at foodlyyours@aol.com or send comments and questions to be forwarded to: Foodly Yours, Star-Gazette, Attn: Features Department, 201 Baldwin St., P.O. Box 285, Elmira, NY 14902.