Heirloom tomatoes have started appearing on market tables across New York City this week. Union Square Greenmarket vendors displayed the first crates on Monday morning, with varieties such as Cherokee Purple and Brandywine fetching $7 to $9 per pound. These tomatoes come in irregular shapes and a range of colors, qualities that distinguish them from standard supermarket types.
Most heirloom tomatoes are open-pollinated, meaning they are grown from seeds passed down through generations rather than engineered hybrids. Growers like Norwich Meadows Farm in the Finger Lakes region say demand rises sharply as temperatures climb. "People ask about them as soon as we start bringing greens in April," said Zaid Kurdieh, owner of the farm, at his Tuesday stand.
Chefs at city restaurants are also planning menus around the brief season. At Loring Place in Greenwich Village, the kitchen is preparing a tomato salad with basil and olive oil for late May service. Several Brooklyn pizzerias are expected to feature heirlooms on weekly specials by early June.
The season typically lasts until early fall, though some farmers note that weather patterns can shorten or extend availability. For now, market shoppers are buying early arrivals by the bag. By midday Tuesday, several stands had sold out of their first harvest.
For New Yorkers, the appearance of heirloom tomatoes signals more than just a menu change. It marks the city’s transition toward summer, with outdoor dining and neighborhood festivals soon to follow.