In the regional pages of the July/August 2002 issue of Fine Cooking, we featured Tomatomania, a Los Angeles event celebrating heirloom tomatoes. Seedlings of 175 varieties were sold, in anticipation of a harvest-time tasting extravaganza that took place in August. The results are in!

Taste-testing tomatoes was an easy job for this group of heirloom-tomato enthusiasts.

The number one best-tasting heirloom tomato at this year's tasting was 'Black Plum', followed closely by another black variety, 'Carbon', and 'Sweet Olive', a cherry tomato variety. Popular old-timer cherry 'Sungold' followed in fourth place.

Here's the complete top 10!

1. 'Black Plum'
2. 'Carbon'
3. 'Sweet Olive'
4. 'Sungold'
5. 'Goliath'
6. 'Green Zebra'
7. 'Odoriko'
8. 'Paul Robeson'
9. 'Goose Creek'
10. 'Black Zebra

Photos: Courtesy of Sam Hamann

From Fine Gardening #88 Purchase back issues