large tomatoes and purple morning glory flowers staged in a picture frame with a red barn in the background

Behind the Catalog Cover Shot

The 2025 Seed Savers Exchange Catalog proudly offers more than 600 unique, open-pollinated varieties, but its cover showcases only two—the delightfully delicious ‘German Pink’ tomato and the mighty yet majestic ‘Grandpa Ott’s’ morning glory (with the historic barn at Heritage Farm providing the backdrop).

Three orange tomatoes on a wood plank surface.

Varieties

‘Oma’s Orange’ Tomato: A Tradition of Love

Betty Moore, a Seed Savers Exchange member from Stow, Ohio, holds a cherished family heirloom—a tomato variety that has been part of her family for years. This tomato has a rich history dating back to 1937, when Betty’s mother, Oma Rachel Lively Miller, received it from a relative upon her marriage. You might know it as ‘Oma’s Orange’ tomato.

Varieties

‘German Pink’: the tomato that started it all

Here at Heritage Farm—the Northeast Iowa home of Seed Savers Exchange—the ‘German Pink’ tomato is perhaps best known as “tomato number one” or “the tomato that started it all.”

Whole green tomatoes and two green tomato slices

Stewardship Stories

Stewardship Stories: Bill Minkey

Over 26 years, Bill Minkey has donated nearly 500 varieties of tomatoes, beans, lettuce, and peas to the Seed Savers Exchange seed bank collection, and in 2017, Bill listed 1,011 varieties in the Exchange.

A whole tomato between two halved tomatoes on a wooden surface

How Tos, Lifestyle, Recipes

Recipe – Sugo: Juice of Life

Sugo: Juice of Life, submitted by Robin Morgan, Seed Savers Exchange intern and Italian chef. The Italian word sugo means both “juice of life” and a tomato-based pasta sauce. To call something sugo is to say it is rich, interesting, and worthy.

A wooden box of red, orange, yellow, and white tomatoes of varying sizes

How Tos, Lifestyle, Recipes

Recipe: Golden Tomato Tart

Golden Tomato Tart, submitted by Rosalind Creasy, author, photographer, and Seed Savers Exchange advisor. This spectacular tart can be served as an appetizer or as an entrée for a light lunch. It is quite dramatic made with gold tomatoes or any combination of colorful homegrown luscious tomatoes. Any leftover marinade can be used as a base for a vinaigrette dressing.

Many tomatoes of different colors and sizes on a wooden surface

How Tos, Lifestyle, Recipes

Recipe: Fried Green Tomatoes

Featured at Seed Savers Exchange’s 2018 Tomato Tasting at Heritage Farm, this fried green tomatoes dish stars tart, unripe tomatoes.

Three red tomatoes and four thick tomato slices

Recipes

Recipe: Amish Meets Italian Soup

Amish Meets Italian Soup with Seed Savers Exchange Veggies, submitted by Susan J. Bliss, Seed Savers Exchange customer, This soup recipe is sweet with a touch of heat… perfect. But take note—it’s these varieties and ingredients that make this soup superb.

Growing Guides

Growing Guide: Tomatoes

Tomato plants can be either determinate or indeterminate. Determinate plants will produce tomatoes that all ripen around the same time, while indeterminate plants will continue producing new growth and new fruits throughout the growing season.

Recipes

Recipe: Lemon Basil and Peach Panzanella

Lemon Basil and Peach Panzanella by Lucy Burkhart, Neptune Springs Family Farm. “Panzanella has always been a hit in our family,” says Lacy. “This light, yet filling, dish is delicious after a long, hot day working on our sixth-generation family farm, and ‘Mrs. Burn’s Lemon’ basil has the perfect citrus flavor to add extra depth to it.”