Tomato Tastings with John Coykendall

August is a special time at Blackberry Farm because we dedicate the month to shining an extra spotlight on our Garden and celebrating its bountiful end-of-Summer offerings. During August, we offer a variety of Garden-themed activities where guests can spend some time wandering through the rows and learning about everything we grow. Guests enjoy farm-to-table meals at Garden Dinners, Meet the Garden Team sessions, seasonal garden-inspired cocktails in all our restaurants, and more. But the bounty of the Garden doesn't end in August.

It’s no secret to anyone who visits the Garden that Master Gardener John Coykendall’s favorite element of Garden Month is the weekly tomato tastings. The only tools John needs for his treasured tastings are a cutting board, a sharp knife and a little bit of sea salt. Guests are invited to sit at our picnic tables in the heart of the Garden and sample our favorite Summer treat – tomatoes fresh from the plant. John will be the first to tell you that once you’ve had a tomato from the garden, grocery store tomatoes will never taste the same. "I tell my friends that good tomatoes are like Santa Clause – take them once a year and be thankful," says John.

In 2020, John and our Garden team grew forty different varieties of heritage, heirloom tomatoes. This incredible mix creates a beautiful variety of color, size and flavor that would captivate even the most skeptical taster. The tastings are a special opportunity for guests to experience what true, farm fresh tomatoes are meant to taste like while learning about what makes them so special. As he slices the tomatoes, John shares the history of the plant, where it originated from and how it got to our Garden. With this variety of open-pollinated crops, the seeds can be harvested and replanted for years to come. And he even invites guests to take Blackberry tomato seeds home and continue the story in their own gardens.

Learn a little about seven of our tomato varieties we’ve loved sharing with guests and the kitchens!

Claude Brown – This variety came to us from a seed swap in Pikeville, Kentucky. It’s a local variety there and produces giant orange tomatoes.

Cades Cove Current – This tiny little current hails from Cades Cove. It grows almost wild on the Farm – we haven’t planted it in years because it seeds itself every year!

Spears TN Green – This tomato is large and green when ripe. It’s been grown by the Spear family in Tennessee since the 50s.

Blue Berries – This cherry tomato turns from green to purple to red with blue shoulders. It’s a good example of some of the fun of naturally crossing tomatoes.

Amy’s Apricot – This is an old cherry-type heirloom favorite, and this tomato has made it to Italy and back! It was donated to the community here by a man who received seeds from his Italian aunt.

Homs – This tomato comes to us from Homs, Syria and was brought over to North America in the 1940s. It’s been a favorite in The Barn this year.

Blue Ridge Mountain – This one made it to Indiana before it was released in the 1980s. It can be traced to two earlier generations from the Blue Ridge Mountains-part of South Carolina.