Seed Savers Exchange Tomato Tasting and Seed Saving Workshop, Saturday, September 5th, 12:00 - 4:00pm at the Lillian Goldman Visitors Center.

The focus of the gathering will be heirloom tomatoes: over 40 different kinds, all colors, all sizes. Visitors will be able to taste each type of tomato to assist them in choosing tomato seeds for their 2010 gardens. After tasting each variety, participants will vote on their favorite. The Sudduth's Brandywine, a large pink beefsteak tomato took first place in 2009 with the showy Gold Medal, a yellow tomato with red streaks, coming in a close second in the 2009 tasting.

While contemplating their favorite tomatoes visitors may attend Tomato Seed Saving Workshops, led by the horticultural staff, to learn how to save their own tomato seeds for future plantings. Workshops are offered at 11:00, 12:00 and 1:00pm.

And new this year - A SALSA CONTEST. Whip up a batch of your favorite salsa and enter it in the new Salsa Contest during this year's Tomato Tasting. In addition to 365 days of bragging rights, the "best of show" winner will receive a free Seed Savers Exchange annual membership, a basket full of "salsa seeds", The Great Salsa Book cookbook, dinner for two at McCaffrey's Dolce Vita, and a free one-night stay at the beautiful Hotel Winneshiek. You bring two quarts of your scrumptious salsa and copies of your recipe to share, we'll provide the chips! Please label your salsa as "mild", "medium", "hot" or "on fire!" To enter the contest, please call 563/382-5990. (Limit 25 entries)

There will also be refreshments and live music that afternoon! All tomato seed packets will be 50%off that day in the Lillian Goldman Visitor's Center gift shop. See you at Heritage Farm September 5!

Also hay wagon rides (1-3 p.m.) down into the Twin Valleys at Heritage Farm where you'll see the Ancient White Park cattle!

This event is free and open to the general public.

These are some of the varieties that may be available during the 2009 Annual Tomato Tasting:

Amish Paste
Aunt Ruby's German Green
Beam's Yellow
Black Krim
Brandywine (Sudduth's)
Chalk's Early Jewel
Cherokee Purple
Cherry Roma
German Pink
Gold Medal
Golden Sunray
Green Zebra
Hartman's Yellow Gooseberry
Hillbilly Potato Leaf
Hungarian Heart
Italian Heirloom
Japanese Trifele
John Baer
Kellogg's Breakfast
Kolb
Martino's Roma
Mexico Midget
Mortgage Lifter, Halladay's
Ponderosa Red
Purple Russian
Red Zebra
Rose
Sheboygan
Silvery Fir Tree
Speckled Roman
Stupice
Sweet Pea Currant
Tasty Evergreen
Tommy Toe
Trophy
Trucker's Favorite
Velvet Red
Wapsipinicon Peach
Wisconsin 55