The Heirloom Produce Craze
These Fruits and Vegetables are Tougher to Find and Pricier but Worth It
It's about taste and quality, not quantity. The movement for fresh produce is also what's driving the movement toward flavor rather than efficiency.
— James Parker, global buyer for Whole Foods
It wasn't that long ago when tomatoes owned the heirloom monopoly in grocery stores and dominated the spotlight on this special breed.
That has changed over the past few years, with even mainstream grocers staying stocked up on not only tomatoes, but also potatoes, squash and even beans, all with heirloom origins.
But there's more to these varieties than the fancy names and elevated price tags. Knowing what separates heirloom fruits and vegetables from their mass-produced counterparts and how to use them to their potential is the key to removing the mystery behind this delicious, and sometimes odd-looking, produce.
What Are Heirlooms?
Open-pollinated and not grown for commercial purposes, heirloom produce started to gain popularity in California in the early 1990s. At the time, consumers were becoming dissatisfied with the flavor, texture and overall culinary profile of commercial varieties that filled shelves and bins at most grocery stores, according to James Parker, global facility team leader for the global buying office at Whole Foods.
When shoppers bit into heirloom varieties, they quickly discovered the fresh flavor that had been lacking. "When they tasted that fruit or vegetable, they realized this is how it's supposed to taste. It's difficult to taste an Ambrosia melon and go back to the modern cantaloupe," Parker said.
And as its name indicates, the seeds from which these varieties hail have been passed down through generations and often remain in the same families, with the current generation of farmers selling their yields at local farmers' markets.
The history and age of these origins, as well as the extra care put into the growing process by the farmer, influence the quality, which is similar to a complex or full-bodied wine and the old vines from which it is produced.
Most heirloom produce is available seasonally so it's featured at its best. Nowadays, a pretty tomato or strawberry can be purchased throughout the year. But venues such as farmers' markets and specialty grocery stores pride themselves on selling foods that are in-season only, especially heirlooms.
"Chances are you are going to find a farmer who is passionate about a variety and that local farmer is going to give you the best fruit in the world (available at the time)," Parker said.
Getting What You Pay For
Costs vary, but customers can expect to pay a few more pretty pennies for heirloom varieties, sometimes $1 or more per pound. And just like a custom piece of artwork or couture, the price tag reflects the time and effort spent long before the apple or carrot was placed on the shelf.
The delicate and inconsistent nature of heirlooms requires them to be harvested by hand, not machine, Parker said, citing the Brandywine heirloom tomato as an example.
"It takes longer to grow, but the problem you can get on that plant is that one is 2 oz. and another is 2 lbs., and the farmer has to figure out how to harvest them differently," he explained.
Also, each season the yield is inconsistent because it's not controlled or bred like commercial produce, and the extra care needed from seed to finished product means more up-front production costs for the farmer.
Heirlooms are not meant to have as lengthy a shelf life, so spoilage rates tend to be higher as they sit waiting to be purchased at the stores, Parker said.
All these factors play a role in what you pay at the register.
"It's about taste and quality, not quantity. The movement for fresh produce is also what's driving the movement toward flavor rather than efficiency," Parker said.
Getting educated on what is available seasonally is a good way to ensure getting the most bang for the buck, he said. Farmers' markets are the best indicator of when citrus season begins and squash season ends.
Buying locally also helps. With about 95 percent of farmers' market produce coming from the region, every piece is as freshly harvested as possible.
Many are ripened on the vine so they arrive at the store ready to be eaten and do not need to sit on a counter for a few days waiting for nature to take its course. "It's a throwback to the times when we were growing in our back yards. Nothing beats something that's freshly harvested," Parker said.
No Fuss Necessary
You've spent the time selecting your beans and apples and paid good money for them, so it's best not to let that potential go to waste. Knowing how to show off your heirlooms is more important than the purchase; otherwise, it's all for naught.
This theory is practiced by chef Justin Beckett, who uses heirloom tomatoes in a salad but never in a soup, where their nuances would be lost amid the broth and herbs. At his lauded east Phoenix restaurant, Beckett's Table, the chef doesn't necessarily seek out heirlooms but searches for the best-tasting produce, which almost always are of the heirloom category. He also doesn't advertise his menu's heirloom offerings.
"The special part about heirlooms for me is that they are fully grown and ripened on the vine so you're getting all of the nutrients from the plant. It tastes like it's supposed to. And instead of telling them, I'd rather let the guest recognize it when they taste it," Beckett said.
For the at-home cook, Beckett likes the idea of simplifying recipes to make even subtle characteristics of the produce stand out instead of overloading the dish with a lot of herbs and spices, or cooking it to the extra-soft or charred stage.
For vegetables that demand to be cooked, such as butternut squash, Beckett suggests making a puree by steaming and putting it through a food mill and adding just a touch of salt and a liquid, like stock or cream, that will "still let the squash shine through."
"Think about the recipe you're making and how to feature the product," Beckett said. "I want each and every bite to stand out and be the star. If I spend that money, I don't want to blend it up with other things. I do as little as possible to them."
Over the past few years, more diners have been drawn into the heirloom craze. Beckett has noticed the popularity of heirlooms coinciding with the organic and buy-local movements. While shopping at Phoenix-area farmers' markets for ingredients that he will concoct into his nightly special, Beckett occasionally runs into customers who often are looking over the same goods he is examining. Their reaction, he said, is always positive and lets him know that diners have become savvier about where they want their food to come from. "They say, 'Wow, you shop here?' They understand we get it from a local producer and it doesn't come off an 18-wheeler from California," Beckett said.
But anyone who's learned to love heirloom fruits and veggies has learned that perhaps the most important rule is one of the first we were taught: Things are not always as they appear to be.
"If you're going to shop for heirloom produce, it's not always the prettiest," Beckett warned. "But it's always the best-tasting produce."
They may be tougher to find, require a bit more cash out of your wallet and don't come ready to be photographed for "Bon Appetit" magazine, but when it comes to flavor and quality, heirloom fruits and vegetables are worth the effort.
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images
