A Pink Cadillac Journey

but not in Aretha's car

Luka Koritko, 2, examines one of his grandfather’s Pink Cadillac tomatoes.

Many people obsess about their homegrown tomatoes but no one does it with more panache than John Koritko, known as Buck to his friends. This gentleman farmer grows an heirloom variety known as Pink Cadillac, a cultivar with an interesting family history according to a Centre Daily Times article that appeared in August, 2014. The tomato was a favorite of his father, John Koritko Sr, and was lost for a generation when John Sr died in 1974. The somewhat miraculous discovery at the funeral of Mrs. Koritko in 2001, when a neighbor mentioned that she had a jar of the original seeds from the ‘70s, kindled the grower’s instinct in Buck and he has been at it ever since.

Really at it, with a greenhouse at home to start the seeds early and an expanse of cultivated gardens at his farm in Gatesburg dedicated to tomatoes and peppers. In August he is well-known for driving around State College delivering Pink Cadillacs to everyone he encounters.

The servers at the Waffle Shop look forward to Pink Cadillacs delivered by Buck.

This year he outdid himself and shipped some out to me in Wyoming.  Sadly, traveling overnight via Fed Ex did not ensure a completely unspoiled delivery. The tomatoes were just too fragile to travel. A few arrived in perfect condition, and I immediately made tomato sandwiches. The rest became a luxurious salsa, with the addition of some of his hot peppers that came along for the ride.

Tomatoes for shipping didn't fare so well in their journey. But the tomato sandwich made their trip worthwhile.

Buck and I first connected over tomatoes when I was involved in a community celebration for the Bellefonte Art Museum in the summer of 2014. Food Glorious Food spawned a series of events throughout the summer, focusing on the best summer foods in our Central PA region. One of our August events was hosted by Buck in his garden, where we sampled tomato sandwiches two ways—Philly style with Hellman’s mayo and Pittsburgh style with Miracle Whip. We sipped champagne as we sampled both varieties. You would be surprised what a great pairing sparkling wine is with the very simple white bread sandwiches slathered with the dressing of choice and stacked with juicy slices of Pink Cadillacs that hung over the bread. The Spotify soundtrack of tomato songs blasted from his house speakers and we were in our own tomato heaven.

Pink Cadillacs await processing into salsa in Buck and Janine’s kitchen.

The tomato, the most popular home-grown vegetable in the world, is actually a fruit, a berry, since it is pulpy and contains one or more seeds that are not stones.  Tomatoes are extremely high in vitamins A and C, with the vitamin C concentrated in the locular jelly that surrounds the seeds.  They are also high in potassium, phosphorus, and other important minerals and vitamins.  Cooking does not tend to decrease the nutritive value, except slightly for A and one of the B vitamins. There is an actual increase in some nutrients due to the evaporation of water.

Salsa simmers and reduces before the canning process.

Taking a cue from Buck, I made salsa with the remaining Pink Cadillacs while listening to Aretha’s song, evaporating some of the water, concentrating the flavor, and boosting the nutritive value. I don’t have enough to can, but will savor each dipped chip and bless the sender.

Small batch Pink Cadillac salsa in Alpine, Wyoming.

Buck’s Salsa

Skin tomatoes in hot water and dice to yield 6 quarts with liquid. Add sweet and hot peppers to taste, 4 green and 6 hot banana peppers. Add 1/8 cup salt and 1 cup vinegar. Mince 6 cloves of garlic and chop one-half to a full bunch of cilantro and add to the tomatoes. Reduce on medium-low heat for several hours until reduced to 2/3 the volume or 4 quarts.

That’s a lot of salsa! If you decide to can it, follow the directions for water bath canning or just scale back the recipe and keep it refrigerated until gone. It won’t last long.

Janine and John Koritko in their kitchen in 2014.

Another first tomato encounter at Mellon Produce in State College in 1989 with Rose Corr, 3 years old and ready to try a tomato.