Q & A with Craig LeHoullier

Craig LeHoullier, Seed Savers Exchange tomato adviser

Craig LeHoullier lives and gardens in Hendersonville, North Carolina, having moved there with his wife, Susan, in January 2020 after residing for 28 years in Raleigh. A Rhode Island native, he caught the gardening bug from his grandfather, Walter, and dad, Wilfred. Craig earned his doctorate in chemistry from Dartmouth College, which resulted in a 25-year career in pharmaceuticals that ended in 2008.

Craig discovered a passion for heirloom tomatoes when he joined Seed Savers Exchange in 1986 and today serves as SSE’s tomato adviser. He has named and popularized many well-known tomatoes, including ‘Cherokee Purple,’ and in 2005 added amateur tomato breeding to his garden resumé. He continues to co-lead a space-limited breeding project, responsible for creating 125 (and counting) new compact growing varieties for space-challenged gardeners. In 2015 he authored Epic Tomatoes, and the following year saw the publication of Growing Vegetables in Straw Bales. His third book, in the works, focuses on his small-space tomato breeding project. 

What first piqued your interest in growing tomatoes?
The tomato variety I planted in my very first garden (in 1981) was the hybrid ‘Better Boy.’ They were red and tasty, but ultimately, ordinary and boring. A few years later, I read about Seed Savers Exchange, and my gardens were forever changed once I joined the organization and began to request seeds, including tomato seeds. To me, no other growable edible combines the staggering diversity of color, shape, size and flavor of the tomato. Add the relative ease of growing and seed saving and the wonderful stories that accompany so many heirlooms, and I was quickly hooked for life. 

I continue to grow them with just as much excitement today. There are always more stories to learn, more variations to observe, and more gardeners to coach toward success. It is my lifelong hobby and passion.

What is your favorite tomato variety to grow?
My favorite is ‘Cherokee Purple,’ due to its current staggering popularity, the amazing quality of the tomatoes, and the part I got to play in its introduction. The ‘Cherokee Purple’ story also perfectly illustrates the fragility of heirlooms. If the Cherokees of eastern Tennessee didn’t share seeds with the granddad of Jean Greenlee . . . if the grandad didn’t pass them on to Jean . . . if Jean didn’t share them with John Green . . . if John didn’t send them to me .  . .  if I didn’t name and then send them to Jeff McCormack of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange . . . if Jeff didn’t  list the variety in the 1993 catalog—if even one of those things had not happened, we probably wouldn’t have ‘Cherokee Purple’ today.

Can you provide a couple fun facts about tomatoes—something interesting that most folks likely would not know? 

First fun fact: After growing thousands of varieties of tomatoes, I can honestly say that there is no correlation between color and flavor. I can identify tart, sweet, intense, fruity. or bland examples in every single tomato color. 

Second fun fact: A large scale study of acidity (pH) of tomatoes of hundreds of types carried out decades ago blew the myth of the low-acid tomato out of the water. All tomatoes have acidity levels within a very narrow range. When we call a tomato “low acid,” what we should be saying is “high sugar”—the sugar levels in such tomatoes are elevated so that the acidity is covered up. What this means is that any tomato can be part of your end-of-season canning project.

What are your top five tips for growing healthy, happy tomatoes?
1. Start with a high-quality, sterile seed-starting mix so that you get seedlings off to a healthy start.

2. Once the seedlings are ready to plant out, make sure they are in as good a location as possible—in as much sun as your property allows, in rich soil that drains well (or in containers with a blend of high- quality soil less planting mix augmented with compost, or in an appropriately prepared straw bale).

3. Know your plants—visit them often; know what they look like when they are happy, and when they are troubled. Tomatoes will fail if they are planted and then largely forgotten.

4. Provide what your tomatoes need, by understanding what they need. Watering and feeding needs vary depending upon how and where your tomatoes are planted; be clear on what they will need and be sure to provide it.

5. Fall in love with the journey of gardening—cherish the hours and days spent among the plants, but don’t get overly hung up on expectations of “x number” of pounds per plant. There are no guarantees with gardening, and each season will bring different challenges and results. But each season will also teach observant, involved gardeners an awful lot that can be incorporated in future gardens.

NC Tomatoman’s Heirloom Tomato Bisque
By Craig LeHoullier

“This incredibly simple, easy-to-make tomato bisque is equally delicious whether using fresh or canned tomatoes and originated from Peter Christian’s, a now-defunct New Hampshire restaurant,” says Craig. “I altered it to make it more healthy—eliminating the cream and cheese—and more focused on the flavor and quality of the tomatoes. I’ve made it with all-green flesh, all-yellow/orange flesh, all-red/crimson flesh, and combos of all these—it is about the flavor!”

INGREDIENTS
Soup
5 tablespoons butter
1 large sweet onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large sweet pepper (red, orange, or yellow bell or sweet bullhorn type), seeded and coarsely chopped
3 stalks celery, leaves and end removed, coarsely chopped
2 1-quart jars home-canned (for best flavor) heirloom tomatoes, or 6 pounds of fresh-picked perfectly ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters and then quartered again
2 teaspoons dried basil, or 20 leaves fresh basil; add dried at the beginning, add fresh just before blending at the end
1 teaspoon dried thyme, or 2 sprigs of fresh leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano, or the equivalent of fresh leaves
1 ½ tsp salt
Generous grinds of black pepper
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon celery seed
¼ cup dry red wine
1 cup milk
Sharp cheddar cheese, grated (optional) 

Croutons
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
1 clove minced garlic
½  teaspoon oregano
4 thick slices of a good, crusty bread, cut into 1- inch cubes

DIRECTIONS
Soup
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large, covered pot, then add the garlic, onion, celery, pepper, and all of the herbs/seasonings as well as the wine. Stir often over medium heat until the veggies soften, about 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and let ingredients simmer for 40 minutes.

Remove pot from heat. Add the basil and then, using an immersion blender, mix it until nearly smooth. Add the milk and immersion blend the mixture again until the soup’s consistency is as smooth as you like —adjust for seasoning as you wish. Serve as is, or with croutons, and add grated sharp cheddar if you wish.

Croutons
Melt butter in the microwave. Add cheese, garlic, and oregano, then add the bread and toss to coat; microwave on high for 3-5 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the butter and herbs are absorbed and the croutons get crunchy. Warning: These croutons are totally addictive!