It is peak tomato season in Massachusetts and the judges came hungry. Lining up dozens of juicy entries, they sniffed, sliced and sampled their way through the annual Massachusetts Tomato Contest that turns the summer bounty into a showcase for local farmers.
The contest, sponsored by the Department of Agricultural Resources, the New England Vegetable and Berry Growers Association, and hosted by the Boston Public Market Association, is part friendly rivalry and part marketing campaign for one of the state’s signature summer crops.
Farmers compete in four categories — slicing, cherry, heirloom and heaviest — with entries scored on flavor, firmness and slicing quality, exterior color and shape. Winners go home with trophies and certificates, but the real prize is bragging rights and exposure to tomato-loving consumers.
Agriculture Commissioner Ashley Randle said the contest began as “a fun way to celebrate and recognize farmers and tomato production in the state,” and it has grown into a summertime staple.
“When you look at tomatoes on a yearly basis, farmers produce over 5 million pounds of tomatoes in the state, which is the equivalent to about $12 million in value. So it’s a significant part of our agricultural economy,” she said.
This year’s 40th anniversary contest came against a hard backdrop.
“It was a difficult growing season for farms,” Randle said. “We had an incredibly wet spring, which delayed farmers being able to get into the ground and plant their crops. And then now we’ve had a very long dry spell. And so when you have that, oftentimes you see tomatoes falling off the vines because they get heat stressed.”
Still, she said, “by looking at the crop that we have here today, looks like we have really great quality. So I’m excited to see what the judges think at the end of the day.”
Massachusetts tomato production is spread statewide, with 739 farms growing the crop on about 520 acres. From the Berkshires to Cape Cod, growers deliver entries to regional drop-off sites so they can make their way to Boston.
“Last year, I think we had one or two farms place in the top three from the Cape,” Randle noted.
Judges spent more than an hour working through plates of tomatoes Tuesday, giving scores on a 25-point scale. Rep. James Arena-DeRosa, who joined the panel, praised the visual feast.
“One of the things we’re judging for today is color, and there’s a beautiful rainbow here, an array of colors,” he said. “It really shows the diversity and why it’s important to support all our farms all across the state.”
He added with a smile, “I do a little growing on my own. Italian, of course.”
Judge George Lishchynsky, chef at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, said he was focused on “the sweetness and also the aroma, right when you bite into it, you should be able to smell it and taste it at the same time. And it should have a certain firmness. It shouldn’t be mushy. It should have a good toothsomeness to it.”
By his count, he sampled 36 heirlooms. One stood out, he said: “Actually, it was really sweet and also was savory, which was kind of surprising to me. A lot of times tomatoes tend to be sweeter, but this one actually had a lot of savory. It was actually the first one I tasted.”
As for the heavy hitters: Ward’s Berry Farm in Sharon brought the heaviest tomato this year, weighing in at 2.84 lbs. The striped German variety tomato was a striking yellow and red. Placing in number two and three were tomatoes from Brookwood Community Farm in Canton, 2.77 lbs, and Verrill Farm in Concord, 2.58 lbs.
Tomato season still has weeks to go, with farm stands and markets across the state offering fresh harvests. For Randle, the appeal is timeless.
“Certainly a tomato sandwich,” she said, answering a question about her favorite tomato recipe and recalling lunches on her family farm. “But I would also say that tomatoes with basil and mozzarella and a little balsamic vinaigrette is another favorite.”
Arena-DeRosa also lamented not having mozzarella and basil to eat alongside his dozens of samples of tomatoes.
Lishchynsky keeps it simple: “Honestly, a bruschetta in the summertime ... if your tomatoes aren’t great, then your bruschetta won’t be great, but your tomatoes are fantastic, bruschetta will be fantastic.”
And while the trophies will soon head to farms across the state, Arena-DeRosa summed up the point of it all: “We want to promote Massachusetts agriculture. There’s nothing like a fresh tomato that’s grown locally. It’s so different from what you get in a supermarket.”
