In our garden we have a selection of 20 varieties of heirloom tomatoes. An heirloom is regarded as something that has been passed down from generation to generation because of it’s value, whether intrinsic or sentimental. Heirloom tomatoes are grown from seed that has been passed from one generation to the next. We usually think of heirlooms as varieties that are over sixty years old, before the introduction of hybrids to the general market. Another term we associate with heirlooms is open pollenated. These are seeds that are pollenated by natural methods, like insects or wind. If you collect the seed of one variety of an heirloom and plant it you should get a plant that should be quite similar to the parent plant.
One of our favorites is the Garden Peach, a native of Peru and according to food historian William Woys Weaver, introduced to the United States in 1862 from France. The Garden Peach has a thin matte yellow skin that is slightly fuzzy. When ripe, Garden Peach has a rosy blush. The fruits are small, 2-4 ounces on average, and quite prolific. Garden Peach tomatoes will never remind you of a peach plucked off the tree but the flavor is light, mild and sweet. This variety is a “keeper”. At the end of the season it stores well on your countertop or in a box.
In my never ending quest to use our abundance of tomatoes in new ways, I created a cold Garden Peach soup. Is this a soup or gazpacho? According to Merriam Webster, gazpacho is defined as “a spicy cold soup made with chopped vegetables (such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and onions). So I can also call this a gazpacho. I combined chopped garlic, onion, celery and Garden peach tomatoes in the food processor. To give the soup just a hint of peach flavor I added a few tablespoons of peach white balsamic vinegar from The Tubby Olive. A light refreshing soup perfect for the waning days of summer.
Garden Peach Tomato Gazpacho
Serves four
Ingredients
- 3/4c medium chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
- 1/2c medium chopped celery
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
- 3/4c medium yellow pepper, seeded, ribs removed, chopped medium
- 1 3/4lb Garden Peach tomatoes (about 16)
- 1t fresh coarsely chopped mini basil leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2T or more to taste, peach balsamic vinegar or white balsamic
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse on and off until just slightly chunky. Taste and add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper as needed. Add 2-3 tablespoons peach balsamic vinegar, or as to taste.
- Place in a covered container and refrigerate 6-8 hours or longer for flavors to meld
- Serve soup chilled, garnished with tomato chunks and mini basil leaves.
