When my brothers and I were children, one of our summer chores was to harvest the tomatoes. Every few days, we enthusiastically headed to the garden with a basket in one hand-and a salt shaker in the other-to pick the day's bounty of glorious red tomatoes. To us, those tomatoes fresh off the vine tasted as good as candy. Fresh tomatoes direct from the garden was one of the things I missed most about the Midwest when I lived in Seattle. The Pacific Northwest just didn't have enough hot, sunny days to produce perfect tomatoes.

Tomatoes have earned a celebrity status among vegetables. You can count on finding dishes that feature fresh tomatoes in most gourmet restaurants during summer. Renowned chefs clamber to purchase the most colorful, exotic-looking and best-tasting tomatoes from produce vendors and farmer's markets.

The number of tomato cultivars available today is staggering. It seems tomatoes now come in every size, shape and color imaginable. While new hybrids are more disease resistant and have a better shelf life, the old-fashioned heirlooms often produce a better, more complex tasting fruit. Because of their return to popularity, most garden centers now carry several heirloom cultivars. Heirlooms are simply tomatoes whose seed has been passed down from gardener to gardener for generations. These tomatoes are old or original varieties that fell out of production and have been reintroduced in recent years. They are open-pollinated, not genetically altered for modern commercial production, and often lack the disease-resistance bred into hybrids.

Some tomato experts say that indeterminate tomatoes (those that grow and keep fruiting until stopped by frost or disease) are generally better flavored than the determinate types that come to harvest on smaller plants all at once. It's interesting to note that the majority of heirloom tomatoes are indeterminate.

Every garden should have a tomato grown for slicing. They are wonderful used on sandwiches and look great served on platters. 'Brandywine' would be the uncontested favorite in this category. This heirloom can weigh as much as two pounds and has a big flavor to match. The original cultivar was pink, but you can now find Brandywines that are red, yellow or black.

The best of the black or purple varieties is 'Cherokee Purple.' It typically weighs about 12 ounces. This very popular tomato has been described as wine-like and sweet. It has an intense, well-balanced flavor and a natural tolerance to disease. 'Cherokee Purple' is frequently touted as being as tasty as a 'Brandywine.'

Two other excellent black tomatoes are 'Black Krim' and 'Paul Robeson,' both Russian cultivars. Many consumers think darker tomatoes have a more acidic flavor, but, contrary to popular belief, yellow and orange-fruited varieties are not significantly lower in acid content than red tomatoes. They taste sweeter because they have a higher sugar content.

For unique coloration, try 'Mr. Stripey,' which has yellowish stripes on a red base. 'White Wonder' has nearly white fruit. Some gardeners find it too bland, and recommend 'White Queen,' which has a richer flavor. 'Green Zebra' is favored for its rich, sweet taste combined with a salty tang. 'Golden Peach' lives up to its name and resembles a peach. It actually has a fuzzy skin.

There are many yellow tomatoes with good taste and performance. 'Lemon Boy' is a consistent winner in taste tests. Its hybrid fruits are lemon-colored, meaty and, due to excellent disease resistance, usually blemish free. 'Yellow Brandywine' has a nectarine-like consistency with intense sweetness. Also good is 'Lillian's Yellow Heirloom', a pale yellow tomato weighing around one pound.

Cherry tomatoes are great to snack on and use in salads. 'Sun Gold' is generally considered the winner for flavor in this category. This cultivar is golden-orange and has a delightful sugary, fruity flavor. It is the top-selling cherry tomato, is very heat tolerant and a heavy producer. 'Yellow Pear' is also highly rated. It is mild and beautifully pear-shaped.

Paste or plum tomatoes are seedless (or almost so), meaty and on the dry side, which makes them ideal for sauces and sun drying. 'Roma' is a classic paste tomato, although some think 'San Marzano' has as good a flavor. Many seed savers say 'Amish Paste' is the ultimate paste tomato. Its oxheart-shaped fruit is sweet and plentiful. 'Principe Borghese' is an excellent tomato for drying.

Other highly rated hybrid tomatoes are 'Celebrity,' a red 1984 All America Selections winner; 'Sweet 100,' a grape tomato with exceptional qualities; 'Sweet Million,' a variation of 'Sweet 100' having less cracking; 'Juliet,' a grape 1999 AAS winning tomato; 'Early Girl,' a round, red old-timer perfect for short-season gardens; and 'Big Beef,' an AAS late-ripening beefsteak tomato. 'Better Boy', 'Big Boy', 'Sunmaster', 'Jet Star', 'Golden Girl', and 'Early Cascade' are also good hybrids. Other great heirlooms are 'Arkansas Traveler', 'Gold Medal', and 'Big Rainbow.'

An interesting mix is 'Brandy Boy,' a cross between the heirloom 'Brandywine' and 'Better Boy', one of the best-tasting, highest yielding, most disease resistant hybrids. 'Brandy Boy' produces fruits with the size, taste and thin skin of 'Brandywine', but with the heavy production of 'Better Boy.'

The newest trend in growing small-fruited tomatoes is growing them upside down in hanging containers. This method seems to increase production because of increased air circulation, improved disease resistance due to less soil contact, and better nutrient absorption from bottom watering and fertilization.