When we first started the Seed Library and were introducing gardeners to the diversity of heirloom varieties, we were often asked to define the word "heirloom." For some, they had only heard it in reference to tomatoes, particularly Brandywine tomatoes. Somehow, Brandywine tomato had become synonymous with the word. As far as we know, the word started being used in the 1970s to identify vegetable and flower varieties that had originated with a family or region and been passed down from one generation to the next for 50 or more years. Tomatoes, like the Brandywine which can be traced back to at least 1885, are a great place to start exploring the colorful and historical world of heirloom varieties. This Brandywine is red, heavy, dense, and deeply flavored. There are other Brandywine type tomatoes, but this is the one that helped to inspire gardeners to rediscover the delicious joy of growing heirlooms. Indeterminate.
