I work part time in a fruit & veggy stand in Port Townsend and we get a lot of exotic stuff in. I think Heirlooms were an oddity when they first came in and sure, they tasted good and looked fascinating, but it was hit and miss. Some of them were actually on the tasteless side to me if anything. Also I noticed that they would sometimes be “pithy” on one entire side, while fine on the other.
Don’t get me wrong, some of the large purple or multicolored Beefsteak type Heirlooms were actually outstanding. But nothing can beat any of the West coast farms which produce the large, red, in-season Beefsteak tomato. They are like a meal in themselves, no need for even salt. So dang incredible. Organic or otherwise, major farms or family. I used to grow the Better Boys and Early Girls myself that turned out excellent but was never able to grow a nice Beefsteak for some reason. I just had to respond to this post. I hope YOUR tomatoes turn out great!
A few yrs ago, I shared a garden and we had 52 plants. I would bring home 20-30 ripe tomatoes a week.
I made the best spaghetti sauce using fresh homegrown tomatoes...better than the $7/qt sauce from Whole Foods...
Thanks for the good wishes...