Tomato of the Day: Cherokee Green

Cherokee Green tomatoes were born something of a fluke—their history dates back to seed-saver Craig LeHouiller, who first grew Cherokee Chocolate tomatoes—large, purple, beefsteak tomatoes that were resistant to disease. From those plants, Cherokee Green tomato emerged—though it was ripe, it retained a beautiful greenish yellow hue.

Use Cherokee Green tomatoes wherever you’d use their cousins, the more familiar red heirloom tomatoes. Or try to find LeHouiller’s other varieties, Cherokee Purple and Cherokee Chocolate.

Despite their green color, they will not perform like their unripened green tomato brethren. (For traditional green tomatoes, try a fried green tomato sandwich.)

Because of their beautiful color, Cherokee Greens look best with a raw presentation, in concert with other tomatoes. Make stoplight tomato tartines: on your favorite crusty bread, slather a thick layer of herbed goat cheese or fresh ricotta, salt and pepper, layer on yellow, red, and green tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil. Or make an heirloom tomato tart, again with a variety of colors of tomato.

All featured tomatoes come from Tomato Mountain Farm. Tomato Mountain is a certified organic farm in Brooklyn, Wisconsin. In addition to growing tomatoes, the 12-acre farm runs a home-delivery CSA to Chicago-area residents for 42 weeks of the year.