Tomato

We can say with certainty that Thomas Jefferson both cultivated and ate tomatoes. His garden book records the planting of tomatoes in the Monticello vegetable garden from 1809 until 1824. As these are the only years for which he made detailed planting records, we can assume that he planted tomatoes both before and after these dates. Presumably he was cultivating them as early as 1781, when he wrote in his Notes on the State of Virginia: "The gardens yield musk melons, water melons, tomatas, okra, pomegranates, figs, and the esculent plants of Europe." In other words, the tomato is not singled out as anything unusual in Virginia gardens. 

Jefferson always credited a Portuguese doctor who came to Williamsburg in the mid-eighteenth century with being the first to introduce the tomato as a food plant to Virginia. This Dr. Sequeyra firmly believed that daily consumption of the tomato not only maintained health but prolonged life. It was, though, quite uncommon in some parts of Virginia for the tomato to be eaten.

We don't know precisely which tomato varieties Jefferson selected for Monticello's Vegetable Garden, so we cultivate heirloom tomatoes, such as these three highlighted cultivars:

Purple Calabash Tomato is uniquely acidic, but with a rich and concentrated flavor. Delicious fresh, this tomato really shines in sauces and pastes. The culture of the ribbed and scalloped Purple Calabash Tomato dates to pre-Columbian Mexico. 

Costoluto Genovese is an old, Italian preserving tomato. Although an oddity in today's vegetable garden, this variety's heavily-lobed and convoluted shape reflects the character of early 19th-century tomatoes. Its stellar flavor is intense and acidic.

Brandywine Tomato From 1809 on, Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book "Kalendars" consistently show the sowing of "Tomatas." His Spanish Tomato, which was likely akin to the Large Red, was described as "very much larger than the common kind." The Brandywine Tomato is considered the most esteemed late 19th century heirloom tomato, named for a stream in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Brandywine tomatoes have potato-like leaves and large, meaty, reddish-pink fruit, and an indeterminate growth habit. 

In Bloom at Monticello is made possible by support from The Richard D. and Carolyn W. Jacques Foundation.