Gardeners near Decorah have three locally tested tomato varieties to consider after visitors sampled and voted during a free tasting Aug. 22, 2026, at Seed Savers Exchange’s Heritage Farm near Decorah. The gathering produced favorites for three different uses—fresh slicing, cooking and snacking—rather than naming one overall winner.

That distinction gives local gardeners a more practical starting point for planning future crops. The results can help residents match a variety to the way they expect to use tomatoes, whether that means adding slices to sandwiches and salads, preparing sauces or picking fruit to eat directly from the garden.

The tasting’s three category favorites

  • Bookie: Visitors seeking a slicing tomato gave the most support to Bookie. Its selection was tied to fresh eating, making it the tasting’s choice for gardeners focused on sandwiches, salads and other meals where slices are central.
  • Rizzi Softball Plum: This variety led the cooking category. Participants selected it for sauces and other cooked dishes, making it an option for gardeners interested in preparing or preserving tomatoes.
  • Chocolate Cherry: Visitors who preferred eating tomatoes straight from the garden chose Chocolate Cherry as the favorite snacking variety. Seed Savers Exchange listed its seeds for purchase.

What Decorah-area gardeners should take from the results

The tasting offers a focused local reference, not a guarantee that these three varieties will outperform every other tomato in every garden around Decorah. Growing conditions, recipes and individual taste can affect both plant performance and flavor. A variety that works well sliced may not be the best fit for sauce or for eating on its own.

Visitors compared 22 varieties at the gathering, which brought together tomato lovers of all ages. Narrowing those entries to three varieties linked to familiar kitchen uses created a targeted list for additional research and introduced participants to tomatoes some visitors might not otherwise have considered.

Seed Savers Exchange provided follow-up information for gardeners interested in the selected varieties. Participants were directed to research Bookie and Rizzi Softball Plum, while Chocolate Cherry seeds were available for purchase through the organization. Gardeners planning a future crop can compare the varieties with their own growing conditions, recipes and preferences before deciding what to plant.

About the Heritage Farm event

The free gathering was part of Seed Savers Exchange’s broader seed-preservation work at Heritage Farm near Decorah. Visitors sampled, compared and voted while learning more about the organization’s work with seeds and plant varieties.

Decorah Bank & Trust Co., Mountain Rose Herbs and Streamworks supported the tasting. Seed Savers Exchange also thanked the people who sampled the tomatoes, shared their opinions and voted.