To the French, the tomato is the apple of love; to the Germans, it’s the apple of paradise. To North Americans and the British, at least until the early 19th century, it was the wolf peach, and some thought that tomatoes were poisonous.

Today, the tomato is one of the most commonly consumed fruits in the world. And far from being poisonous, recent studies suggest that the betacarotene and lycopene in tomatoes may help prevent cancer and heart disease. They’re also a good source of vitamins A and C, potassium and iron.

There are hundreds of different varieties of tomatoes. Common types include beefsteak, tomato on the vine, plum, cherry and cocktail. So with all the different options, how do you know which tomatoes to buy?

It depends on the dish. Use a hollow tomato, like the beefsteak, if you’re going to stuff the fruit. Tomatoes for a sauce should be meatier; use a plum tomato. And for a splash at a dinner party or potluck, specialty tomatoes or yellow tomatoes create visual interest.

At Whiskey Creek Greenhouse in Millarville, Carmen Ditzler grows Trust tomatoes, a variety of beefsteak tomato. “Trust is an older variety that we chose primarily for its flavour,” Ditzler says. “We grow tomatoes for taste…some growers choose tomato varieties for their plant growth, their heavy production of fruit or the uniformity of the fruit.”

Ditzler’s favourite tomato is a Green zebra, a lime-green tomato with darker green stripes. “It has a distinct taste; it’s almost a little salty,”

Ditzler says. “They remind me a little bit of the ocean.”

But every variety will taste bland if it’s not fresh. The sooner the tomatoes arrive at your table from the farm, the better. Many growers in Alberta are able to pick the fruit the day before delivery to the grocery store or farmer’s market. Tomatoes that come from a significant distance are often picked when they’re still green and firm to prevent damage that occurs when they are mechanically picked and shipped long distances.

Tony Legault, owner of Paradise Hill Farm in Nanton, says these factors significantly affect the taste. “When you pick a green tomato, it hasn’t matured yet – it’s just slowly degrading,” he says .

He adds that difference in taste is significant enough that many consumers will pay a little more for tomatoes grown by local farmers who have higher overhead costs due to the province’s extreme weather and, like Legault and Ditzler do, hand-pick their tomatoes when they’re at their loveliest red.