Founders and supporters of the Los Gatos-based World Tomato Society weren’t about to let those unusually cool June nights and sweltering early September days ruin their plans.
They were aiming to beat the world record for the most tomato varieties displayed in one location, a record of 135 set two years ago in Times Square.
Tomatoes … in New York City?!
So the farmers in this agriculturally rich region known for years as the Valley of Heart’s Delight checked the weather forecasts and babied their crops. “We even had to put a tent on two-and-a-half acres of tomatoes to protect them from the sun,” said Helen Pastorino, president and co-founder of the society.
On Sunday, at their inaugural Heirloom Tomato Harvest Celebration in the Los Gatos town plaza, they carefully displayed and labeled their bounty and waited for the Guinness Book of World Records “adjudicator” to inspect, count and photograph.
The tomatoes, which ranged alphabetically from African Queen to Zapotec, wowed the crowd with their hues of red, orange, pink, yellow, purple and brown. There were old-time varietals like Grandma Mary, Stupice and the Mortgage Lifter (reportedly named because its prolific nature could allow a farmer to pay off the loan). There were tomatoes named for their color like White Beauty, Yellow Cream Sausage and Black Icicle. There were tribute tomatoes like the Julia Child. And wild-looking ones like the Pink Watermelon, with green shoulders atop pink flesh, and the Godzilla, with its otherworldly appearance.
In the end, there were more than enough. Way more.
With a final tally of 241, “you have smashed the Guinness World Record!” Guinness official Christina Conlon hollered to cheers from the crowd. “Congratulations — you are officially amazing!”
“That is phenomenal,” Pastorino said later. “It puts us on the map. And that was an accomplishment in a tough weather season.”
The Guinness announcement capped a day of tomato competitions for best appetizer (Pintxo Pote won) and best Bloody Mary (Willow Street Pizza), tomato ice cream tasting and music by a bluegrass band, which played folk singer Guy Clark’s infectious ode, “Homegrown Tomatoes,” at least once an hour.
But the stars were the tomatoes themselves. Festival attendees took endless selfies in front of the “Tomatr” truck, a bright red 1956 Dodge loaded with old-fashioned tomato crates that was loaned by Bert George, a member of the group’s board of directors. And they gawked at and took photos of the 241 orbs. Even a young boy who said in his best whiny voice, “But I don’t want to look at tomatoes,” perked up when his mother asked him to point out the brightest yellow tomato in the display.
Tomato queen Cynthia Sandberg, the organic/biodynamic farmer who cultivates dozens of varieties on her aptly named Love Apple Farms in the Santa Cruz Mountains, admitted that she’d never grown half of the varieties on view. “There are always new tomatoes to be had,” said Sandberg, whose farms pitched in for the record along with TomatoFest, owned by Gary Ibsen and Dagma Lacey; Castro Farms of Hollister; Dave Dumont; and Joe Cannistraci of Enoteca La Storia.
For its part, Guinness sent the perfect judge for this record attempt.
“I love tomatoes,” Conlon said. “I love Bloody Marys. I love gazpacho. I love all pastas with tomatoes. I love panzanella salads.”
But she loves her job even more, so she plays by the rules. And that means absolutely no eating or drinking while in Guinness uniform.
Record-holders are subject to Guinness rules too. Conlon had to inform the World Tomato Society folks that the tomatoes on display must be consumed by humans. (As if anyone would let those beauties go to waste.) “We won’t recognize any attempt that leads to significant food waste,” she said.
Still, if it were left to her and she had grown one of those record-setting tomatoes, she’d proudly find a way to preserve it for posterity.
“I’d probably glaze it in lacquer, dehydrate it or press it or something,” she said, laughing.
