Another mission accomplished. I found heirloom tomatoes here in Sydney! Finally! (The closest I’ve come to heirloom tomatoes was finding these kumatoes early last year). I fell in love with these fruit when I first tried them in San Francisco a few years ago, after reading about them on so many blogs. There’s just something about them. I love how they have these odd shapes and different shades of colours. Other words that come to mind to describe them, include: “sexy”, “exotic” and even “bohemian”. When I first got to sample them I finally understood what all the fuss was about. It’s hard to describe…sure, they’re tomatoes but they taste like a real tomato should. Nothing like those “watery, supermarket” tomatoes! In fact, they remind me a lot of the tomatoes we had growing in our back garden when I was a kid.
These heirloom tomatoes are available during the later part of the summer months and are still perfect to enjoy with our very unseasonal warm weather here in Sydney. Their colours had me hypnotised. Bright yellow, dark green with zebra stripes, pink ones and even gold ones. I wanted to photograph every single one of them…and I did! I cooked with them for a whole week, making a variety of dishes that I can’t want to share with you. I can’t wait…I hope you’re all tomato fans!
Let’s start the proceedings with something simple…and you know how much I love simplicity. Heirloom tomatoes don’t need much. A few other simple ingredients and this salad becomes lunch or a starter to a bigger meal, in no time. Slice up your heirloom tomatoes, add some sliced red onions, a few sprigs of parsley, season with your finest sea salt and cracked black pepper and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil…Voila! Beauty and taste on a plate! And don’t forget to serve a plate of bread. And olives…oh and wine!…..
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Hi! I'm Peter. Welcome to Souvlaki For The Soul. My "little" space on the web. My blog is choc full of recipes, travel stories and photos. Have a good look around and enjoy your time here. Cheers!
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You’re so lucky to find some heirloom tomatoes. I’ve been looking for them too but we don’t have it here and I don’t blame you for taking lots of photos of it. This salad is exactly how I want to eat it. Now, I am craving for it.
Ahhh, the tomatoes must be at their peak in the Aussie autumn. It’s my fave time in the year with the earth’s bounty ‘full on’.
loving the colours in these photos.
I am a big fan of heirloom tomatoes. That salad looks gorgeously flavorful and so beautiful! Wonderful shots too!
Cheers,
Rosa
Beautiful salad. Your photos are amazing!
Ah. I recall that kumato post (still haven’t found those around this area). But, the trusty heirloom. There’s no better tomato for a simple salad… looks like you found a nice variety of them too!
Aren’t they cute? These pictures are soooooo beautiful Peter; with the black backstage. Very dramatic, I think it highlights the tomatoes so nicely
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Buen provecho, amigo!
They really are beautiful – and delicious. I know what you mean – it took me a loooong time to find them too!
I wonder when we are going to get good tomatoes in Greece. I am thinking of ordering some seeds and growing my own!
Great salad!!!
I found a little “mistake” (mistyping): “I cooked with them for a whole week, making a variety of dishes that I can’t want to share with you. I can’t wait…”
I’m sure you wanted to type CAN’T WAIT instead of can’t want!
You never fail to get a smile out of me when I visit your site! The tomato salad looks so juicy. I don’t think I’ve have really fresh tomatoes in a while – unfortunately I get mine all at the grocery and they aren’t of the same quality. How lucky of you to grow up with fresh tomatoes all the time. Looking forward to the rest of the series!
Simplicity is the best. Heirloom tomatoes are so good but they are so hard to source. They look so seductive under your lens. Beautiful styling and great shots.
peter, this is gorgerous! Tomatoes are generally better at late summer, aren’t they?
Oh, and I tried your meatballs soup (the one with greens and no eggs). Thumbs up. My man loves it.
Oh my goodness, you almost forgot the wine. It’s never an afterthought in my kitchen!
Beautiful photos. You make it look as luscious as it is.
LOL! I know…your comment made me chuckle this morning…
what a great-looking salad!
wow nice photos! im a huge tomato fan! where did you get these heirloom tomatoes in Sydney?
I bought these at Harris Farm markets…one batch from Broadway and the other from Potts Point.
You can get heirloom tomatoes at Eveleigh Farmers Market on Saturdays 8am to 1pm. I bought some and made a wonderful dish. Cut the beautiful tomatoes in half (leave the stalks on!). Add to red onion and organic garlic. Cook v e r y slowly and right at the end add rocket. Serve with delicious pumpkin and goats cheese ravioli (also at Eveleigh market). The tomatoes burst in your mouth! The wine was perfect – 2007 Kangarilla Road Fleurieu Primitivo
What stunning tomatoes! I love the colours…
Nothing beats a good tomato salad with bread to mop up the juices. Man… I’m hungry and want this
Your enthusiasm is infectious. You could write a whole story about an heirloom tomato and then make it look totally inviting. Good job.
I just love Heirloom tomatoes. There are a few producers who grow them around here and you can find them big and small once the season begins. I did see some at the grocers the other day but was leary of purchasing something so out of season here. I was afraid they just wouldn’t meet my expectations of sweet heaven on a plate.
I love heirlooms, too, and not just tomatoes (I’m really into growing old varieties of vegetables these days). If you had a little patio space, you could just grow your own, you know.
I’m glad you found some, though. But let me know if you need me to send you any seed.
These tomatoes (and your photos) are gorgeous, Peter. Congrats on the find and I can’t wait to see what all you made with them. I don’t know how these photos can be dark yet retain all their detail, but I find them delightful.
Peter thats a gorgeous salad. Tomatoes are just so vibrant in colour. They photographed so well.
Really beautiful salad, Peter! I love heirloom tomatoes but I will be happy when ANY tomato tastes decent again – thank goodness it’s almost that time of year here!
Wow great blog! Love the photography! The photos in this post have such a lovely nostalgic feel to me! Even though it doen’t bring me back to any particular memory.
Fantastic colours Peter! And yes I know what you mean, they taste just like tomatoes should. My favourites are Johnny Love Bite tomatoes. They are so sweet!
Really gorgeous! It reminds me of the stunning, perfect tomatoes we could buy on the market in Italy – all Italian grown. And you are so right that tomatoes like that need only salt, pepper and olive oil. Perfect. And now I am missing summer.
Bring it on Peter! I can never get enough of tomatoes. I am so happy that for the last couple of years we can even buy all sorts of varieties in the supermarkets which is fantastic. Not so long ago it was only the terrible watery variety that could but found but I haven’t touched them ever since they started selling real tomatoes! And ofcourse; gorgeous photos!
Gorgeous photos Peter – love your use of the dark backgrounds!
Wow… you must have been inspired because those photos are spectacular… really really love them. Every time I stop by your blog it is such a treat!
In So. Cal it’s time to start planting these lovelies.I can’t wait to get my in the dirt and on their way to a salad like this! GREG
great colours mate!
Tomatoes don’t taste at all nowadays and I was fortunate enough to taste real tomoates back in Cyprus and still remember that lovely taste and aroma.
This picture is absolutely fabulous.
There is nothing like an heairloom tomato … they are exactly as you describe them! I love the end of summer/beginning of autumn when tomatoes are at their peak. You’re so right–the supermarket variety, even the specialized fruit and vegtable market variety, is watery and tasteless compared to that bought at a farmstand or, even better, grown in your own garden. I got to grow two different types of tomatoes for the first time in our own garden last year and we were eating them well into October.
Lovely salad … fresh tomatoes and sliced onion dressed with olive oil is all I need … seriously my favorite salad of all!
Beautiful photo…. it looks delicious
this salad looks delicious & fresh!
Ur photos are fabulous!!
The Sorbello stall at Eveleigh Markets has a great variety of heirloom tomatoes (and capsicums, eggplants and cucumbers). I love their mixed punnets not just because of different colours, but because each variety has a different flavour and acidity level. Try also the baby grape tiny bright red ones, they are extra tomatoey!
sounds so delicious, and I love heirloom tomatoes, my mum used to prepared it almost every dinner but I didn’t know that they have so many different color shades! As I am trying to find new ideas for sandwiches, I’m gonna taste this recipe by including it in our pita bread that we make here at our company ! Please feel free to visit our website and do not hesitate to tell me if you want to taste our bread.
http://www.damascusbakery.com/#products_wraps.cfm
Great salad! And tomatoes can be sexy, bohemian and even dangerous :-p
This is the perfect example of, “When you have great ingredients, do very little with it.” These tomatoes shine like glitter according to my tastebuds. Simple and elegant. Yummo!
Yum! This looks beautiful
Love the character of the opening shot!
Isn’t it great when you can get your hands on some great tasting tomatoes? It’s amazing what they’d pass of as tomatoes these days.
Perfection Peter. Shame that’s probably the last ones we’ll see for quite some time now ;(
one of my favorite salads. Love your styling here too – most tomato salads seem to be shot on white, bright and airy.. not you though. love the mood of the shots here – unique, original and brilliant.
sexy, erotic and bohemian are all a suitable description of these kumatoes
we also have heirloom tomatoes in crete, of a different variety, suiting the tastes of the locals – the ones we grow ourselves are mainly good as sauce tomatoes (they are rather big and not so shapely)
i love your photos too – the black background brings out the colour of the toms
Your photos are just something!
this is SO wonderful! I LOVE heirloom tomatoes! saving this recipe
beautiful!
Yum – I loooove tomatoes. Your heirloom tomatoes look so pretty and colourful! My favourite are still kumatoes though – so flavoursome! I’m currently using one of Jamie Oliver’s recipes for a delicious tomato salad – try using grated garlic and baby basil and parsley leaves along with the usual salad dressings. Amazing. So simple, so good.
I am so pleased that I found yr blog. I’ve never seen Heirloom tomatoes in Brisbane & figured we didn’t have them in Australia. I am moving to Sydney soon & will definitely stock up on these lovely things.
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