If you rely on grocery store tomatoes, you will never know the
superior and complex flavors of homegrown heirloom tomatoes.
”
It’s like wine tasting,
”
Sherrie Kennedy tells me as I taste the tomatoes she grows on
Holsclaw Road in Gilroy.
If you rely on grocery store tomatoes, you will never know the superior and complex flavors of homegrown heirloom tomatoes. “It’s like wine tasting,” Sherrie Kennedy tells me as I taste the tomatoes she grows on Holsclaw Road in Gilroy.
“Some heirloom tomatoes have a peachy flavor. Some are plum-shaped and the color of rich chocolate,” Kennedy says. “Some people think they don’t like tomatoes, but they just haven’t found the right tomato for their taste.”
More than 500 varieties of heirlooms are grown around the world today in a virtual rainbow of colors and shapes, with unique histories and names like German Red Strawberry, Pink Ping Pong, Green Zebra, Snow White, Black Prince and Cherokee Purple.
“I’ve chosen tomatoes that taste like what we had as kids,” Kennedy says. Another variety she is growing is the Mortgage Lifter Heirloom Tomato. Slices of this richly flavored 1-pound pink beefsteak can really make a meal.
Some have asked her why one should be willing to pay more for an heirloom tomato. Kennedy quickly rattles off the top five reasons: Taste, locally grown, organic practices, vine-ripened and hand-picked. “Buying produce that hasn’t been trucked in from miles away is also the green thing to do,” Kennedy points out. “Buying locally is part of not contributing to global warming.”
Kennedy’s quick learning ability and scientific approach have won over her third-generation farming neighbors. She has become part of a tight-knit community in one of Gilroy’s last remaining greenbelt areas so close to town, existing side by side with the outlets and other new shopping centers being developed. The microclimate on Holsclaw has just the right amount of wind and rich soil necessary for producing particularly delicious fruits and vegetables. “This land could grow golf clubs if they had roots,” Kennedy says. “I am using this land the way it was meant to be used. I feel I am doing something good–this is a heartfelt thing.”
Kennedy implements improvements each season. She has gone from a card table to a full-size tomato stand designed by her husband, Mike, this year, based on a storefront found in the “Images of America: Gilroy” history book written by Claudia Salewske. Mike built a trellis system that increased the growing area by 18 times. He has worked with her on “dialing in the many detailed steps necessary for obtaining organic certification,” as she puts it, a process which takes three years to complete. She uses untreated organic seeds and has gone all-organic in her fertilization methods. “I keep pests away with a product,” she chortles with delight, “Are you ready for this? It’s called ‘Garlic Barrier.’ That’s right–it turns out garlic is the perfect product for protecting Gilroy’s tomatoes.”
To try Sherrie Kennedy’s tomatoes, go east on Sixth Street and follow the road until you reach Holsclaw Road, turn right and follow it for about a mile until you see large tomato signs. For sale: Wednesday through Friday from noon to 5pm and Saturdays from 9am to 1pm, or until sold out. Info: 842-9350.
