The Heirloom Tomato

Amy Goldman, Ph.D., a self-described "vegetable rights activist," works to preserve the agricultural heritage and genetic diversity of the world's fruits and vegetables.

Her newest book features 200 heirloom varieties of tomato selected from the 1,000 she grew and tested herself on her farm in Rhinebeck, New York. A comprehensive tome, the book includes the pedigree of each tomato, data on size, sweetness, and more, as well as charming vignettes about the people involved in developing and preserving the seeds. Also included are recipes and seed sources.

Each tomato is brought to life--and a thing of beauty--in Victor Schrager's remarkable still-life portraits of them. An exhibition of these glorious photographs opens August 12 in the Arthur and Janet Ross Gallery here at the Garden.