How to Find the Best

Rubbery industrial tomatoes may be available year round, but real tomato lovers wait until now to go wild for heirlooms, the older, traditional varieties selected for their distinctive flavor and appearance, and propagated by seed for decades or centuries.

Some have become familiar, such as complex, spicy pink Brandywine, sweet Cherokee Purple and tangy Green Zebra. Others are cult favorites, like the gothic-looking Black Krim and variegated, sweet-tart Hillbilly.

Brandywine, that ruby idol of the seed-saving movement, is a large beefsteak type, very meaty, with rich flavor. Although many believe it to be of Amish origin, it is actually a commercial variety introduced in 1889 by a Philadelphia seed firm.

Another favorite, Cherokee Purple, has thin, dusky pink skin with darker shoulders and exceptionally sweet flavor.

One of the most beautiful is Pineapple, a giant fruit with yellow skin and sweet, juicy flesh, both streaked with red. When it is sliced, the red streaks appear as dramatic swirls, making a gorgeous presentation in salads.

Persimmon, a large, flat, golden-orange tomato with sweet, mild flavor, might almost be mistaken for its fruit namesake. Even more distinctive is Peach, which has medium-size globular fruit with pale pink, slightly fuzzy skin.

Some of the tomatoes often considered heirlooms are actually modern varieties. Dr. Carolyn, a small yellow tomato which Dede and Jon Thogmartin have started to grow this year, is named after Dr. Carolyn Male, a microbiologist and tomato enthusiast; it has a characteristic burst of cherry tomato flavor.

Costoluto Canestrino, an Italian tomato with ruffled lobes and a robust flavor, has been sold at farmers markets for just three years, since chef Evan Kleiman brought the seeds from Italy.

Not every heirloom is a winner: They can be bland or mealy if overwatered, overripe or harvested early or late. When the weather is hot, some varieties, like Green Zebra, pass from hard and tart to mushy and tasteless in only a day or two. Evergreen, a larger variety with green skin and flesh, has similar flavor but holds up better. The paler sorts, such as White Wonder and Great White, are beautiful but mild.

August is when tomatoes peak, and most of the heirlooms at farmers markets are good. Some vendors offer samples, always the best guarantee against disappointment. Tomatoes don’t have the pronounced aroma of good peaches and melons, but ripe ones should waft a pleasant vegetal scent. These stands offer some of the best:

Encino (17400 Victory Blvd.), Sunday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.: McGrath Farms.

Hollywood (Ivar Avenue between Sunset and Hollywood boulevards), Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Coastal Organics, Flora Bella Farm, McGrath Farms, Thogmartin Farm, Tutti-Frutti Farm.

Santa Monica (Arizona Avenue between 2nd and 3rd streets), Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Coastal Organics, Flora Bella Farm, McGrath Farms, Munak Ranch, Thogmartin Farm, Tutti-Frutti Farm.

Torrance (Wilson Park, 2200 Crenshaw Blvd.), Tuesday and Saturday, 8 a.m.to 1 p.m.: Cahuilla Mountain Farm.

Hot Tip

For luscious locally grown litchis, available for just a few weeks, show up early at Jerry Dimitman’s stand at the Alhambra farmers market (Bay State and Monterey streets, Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.).