Heirloom Tomatoes

Derrick Gunter and Radiator Charlie Knew a Good Thing When They Saw It

Heirloom tomatoes; photo by Robert Clark

By

Tom Poland

Robert Clark and I were on the road running down a story about land, a farmhouse, and tomatoes. A story of war, old ways, and survivors. On a hot, humid July morning we abandoned I-20 for Longs Pond Road and, after a backroad or two, arrived at a farmhouse near the Boiling Springs community of South Carolina.

Two huge blackjack oaks stood out front. Out back a handsome, clapboard smokehouse looked lonely, its fellow outbuildings long gone. “We tore down the old cow barn in the summer of 2007,” said Derrick Gunter, the owner of this sandy and historic acreage.

Derrick grows heirloom tomatoes here in ancient sea bottom sands and he knows his history. Those trees of the Old South, blackjack oaks, never get much size to them, but these did. Derrick believes they may be the oldest blackjacks in the country.

Photo of Derrick Gunter by Tom Poland

Derrick’s dad gifted him some land and that led to a decision of sorts. Derrick teaches U.S. History at a high school in Lexington County. He has his summers free. His mom said, “You’ve got all that time off in the summer, why don’t you clear the land and grow peanuts?”

He cleared it. The land was a jungle, Derrick said.

Then his dad passed along some sage advice. “Don’t grow peanuts. It’s a lot of work and will drive you crazy. Grow tomatoes,” he said recalling a Russian heirloom tomato a neighbor up the road had brought them. Derrick knew the tomato his dad was referring to. He had made a sandwich from it. “Best tomato I’ve ever eaten.”

That Russian heirloom? It’s called a “Black From Tula.” It’s a large “black” tomato measuring 3 to 4 inches, slightly flattened, oblate, and dark brown to purple in color. It has deep green shoulders. Its flavor is heavenly, rich, and slightly salty, with a smoky-fruit flavor.

Another popular heirloom is the Marion, developed by the Clemson Extension Service in 1963. “Old timers love it,” Derrick said.

Derrick started out with twenty plants, doing a test run with eight varieties. Four failed but four did well. Today, Derrick grows mainline varieties with names as colorful as they are. Cherokee Purple, Black Krim (Crimean), German Johnson, a pink tomato, and perhaps the most colorful name of all: Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter.

Explorer and Voyager subscribers, view a list of places you can purchase heirloom tomato seeds and find out how to get a bonus entry in our summer giveaways at the end of this story. Plus, try this Tomato Pie recipe from one of our readers, and check out Derrick’s fried green tomatoes and “perfect” tomato sandwich recipes at the link below.