Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter

There are actually several "mortgage lifter" tomatoes, each with its own distinct flavor and appearance. Generally, you can count on them being large tomatoes, producing fruits that weigh between one and four pounds. But the best known mortgage lifter is probably Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter, a tomato that was developed during the 1930's by Marshall Byles in West Virginia.

The story goes that Mr. Byles (who also owned a shop repairing, you guessed it, radiators) had developed this tomato in his own garden, and was looking for a way to pay off his $6,000 mortgage. So, he decided to start selling his tomato plants for one dollar apiece to pay it off, and Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter was born.

His mortagage lifters are tomato pink on the outside, red on the inside, and often develop two or three lobes as they grow. They are delicious, with soft, juicy, meaty texture and a nicely balanced flavor. This is a tomato that you simply must eat fresh, although, according to Amy Goldman's "The Heirloom Tomato: From Garden to Table," Radiator Charlie's wife used to can these, and claimed that four tomatoes would yield three quarts of canned tomatoes.

Any tomato that grows this large is bound to offer some challenges to the gardener. The most common are cracking and catfacing. However, the wonderful flavor and bragging rights you get from this tomato is well worth its challenges.