We grow many varieties of tomatoes, and would like to offer some insights on their history. This excellent page tells of the history of brandywine tomatoes.
History of Brandywine tomatoes
Michael Pollan writes very cool books about plant/human interactions. He often explores the thought that plants have actually put us to work spreading their genes all around the world. Tomatoes, peppers and potatoes have a known history of leaving Central and South America in the 1500's and being adapted and bred and selected into hundreds of varieties. Since that time, they have spread all around the earth. So from the point of view of the tomato, we have done a marvelous job of distributing them.
http://www.michaelpollan.com/
Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle chronicles her families journey through a year of eating as much locally grown food as they could manage. They grew much, bought much from local farms and farmer's markets, and found they couldn't livehappily without coffee and olive oil.
http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/
Wendell Berry has been an important influence in our lives and farming philosophy for decades. His influence on the local food movement is deep, strong and nourishing like an old gnarley taproot. Here is a link to an excellent New York Times article from April 2012.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/24/wendell-berry-american-hero/?emc=eta1
In April 2012, Mr. Berry was asked to give the Jefferson Lecture for the National Endowment for the Humanities. Read his fascinating thoughts on affection, advocacy, small farmers and "land-conserving economies". This NEH page also has other related links about Mr. Berry's life and work.
http://www.neh.gov/about/awards/jefferson-lecture/wendell-e-berry-lecture
