OREM — For Dale Allred, the tomato is king.
"There's just all these varieties," he says. "Black ones, orange ones, red ones. … I've had so many people tell me, 'I don't like tomatoes.' And I say, 'I don't think you've ever tasted one.' "
Dwarfed by a jungle of 10-foot tomato plants, Allred holds up a peach-colored cherry tomato, a variety that took him three years to develop.
"This is called 'sunrise,' " he says. "It's kind of got a citrus taste to it."
Allred's sunrise tomato is just one of the 62 heirloom tomato varieties grown at his Jacob's Cove Heritage Farm, where the goal is to provide the community with fresh, toxin-free fruits and vegetables — mostly kinds that were grown for centuries before being abandoned for strains that could be shipped long distances.
"These are varieties that were selected essentially as the best for all these years," Allred says. "Then all of a sudden, we were hoodwinked. (They are) a piece of our heritage as human beings."
Having spent more than 25 years working as a consultant for commercial growers in Mexico, Allred knew he couldn't compete with major farms. But four years ago, he began wondering if local residents would be willing to try an alternative.
"I've always wanted to grow tomatoes," he said. "I thought, 'You know what? Maybe there's a market for really good-quality, local stuff.' "
It wasn't long before Allred realized he was right. In just a few short years, what started as a family backyard experiment turned into a massive growing project with almost 3,000 tomato plants alone. Last year, the family sold their Pleasant Grove home and moved to a farm — now Jacob's Cove — at 1526 S. Geneva Road.
About 500 local residents get their produce through the farm's community-supported agriculture group, paying for a weekly supply of fresh fruits and vegetables. The cherry tomatoes come newly picked from Allred's quarter-acre greenhouse, and the other produce — just as fresh — comes straight from a nearby garden that covers three-fourths of an acre.
And people are responding to the fresh food, Allred says.
"They're looking at their weight going up … and they can't get to the bottom of what it is," he said, "and they're just throwing up their hands and saying, 'You know what? I can go down here to this farm, and I know what I'm going to get.' We're just tapping into that."
But local residents are not the only ones who have discovered Jacob's Cove. The farm's tomatoes have found their way into two of Utah County's premier eateries.
"They're unparalleled," said Joseph McRae, who operates Pizzeria 712 in Orem and Communal in Provo with Colton Soelberg. "You could not improve upon them."
McRae discovered Allred's tomatoes at a farmers market in Salt Lake City before opening Pizzeria 712 almost three years ago. When the time came to open the restaurant, he paid a visit to Allred's backyard garden in Pleasant Grove and had a taste.
"That was it," McRae said. "After that, it was a no-brainer."
Since then, McRae and Soelberg have used the tomatoes in salads and other dishes at Pizzeria 712 and Communal.
"When people eat these tomatoes in the salads, it's like an awakening," Soelberg said.
McRae and Soelberg aren't the only professionals who look to Jacob's Cove for produce. Thanksgiving Point's Harvest Restaurant and the Hilton Salt Lake City Center also buy tomatoes from the farm.
Jacob's Cove hasn't been established long enough to receive the government's organic certification, but Allred says his fruits and vegetables are "beyond organic," surpassing produce from the commercial growers, who he says cut corners to increase profits.
Allred plans to push for certification when Jacob's Cove becomes eligible, but his current focus is building another greenhouse — this one to cover his garden. With the tomatoes and the rest of the fruits and vegetables covered, Jacob's Cove will be able to produce year-round. The project will be expensive to complete, but Allred remains optimistic.
"(Things) are looking pretty good," he said.
About 800 people showed up to a recent party McRae and Soelberg hosted at the farm to promote Jacob's Cove, and some consumers have expressed interest in buying lifetime shares in the community-supported agriculture farm.
But even with growing financial support, Jacob's Cove isn't just about business for Allred.
"It just feeds my soul to see the plants produce," he said.
And along with that, Allred enjoys seeing the look on people's faces when they try truly fresh produce for the first time.
"You see their expression as they taste something that's just spectacular," he said. "And that makes it all worthwhile."
For more information, visit heritageharvest.net.
e-mail: jritter@desnews.com