Old Brooks: A new tomato variety adapted for Hawai‘i

November 2021—Meet “Old Brooks,” a large slicing tomato that offers a tangy and complex flavor perfect for burgers, sandwiches, salads, soups, and sauces! This prolific, indeterminate heirloom tomato is grown and its seeds harvested at Nāmoku, our demonstration farm in Honoka‘a. Old Brooks thrives in Hāmākua’s demanding growing conditions, holding up against blossom end rot, early cracking, and late blight in our variety trials. Locally grown and adapted seeds from the Hawai‘i Seed Growers Network, which grew out of our Hawai‘i Public Seed Initiative, are a beautiful and healthy gift to ‘āina and loved ones. Visit hawaiiseedgrowersnetwork.com and shop their online store, which offers Old Brooks and nearly 90 varieties of non-GMO, open-pollinated local seeds, or contact Donna Mitts, program assistant and our resident seed warrior, for more information.