Solanum lycopersicum.

A tomato that looks like a mistake and is in fact a masterpiece. Green Zebra was created in 1983 by Tom Wagner, an independent breeder in Washington State working alone, with no university or company behind him, from four old green-fruited varieties. So it's recent for a variety called heirloom, but it's open-pollinated, it comes true from seed, and forty years later it has become a classic in its own right. Its career took off when California farmers'-market chefs adopted it in the 1990s, won over by a tomato that brought a colour to the plate nobody else had.

Round fruits 4 to 6 cm across, 60 to 80 g, tender green striped with darker green, ripening to an amber-gold green without ever turning red. Flesh of a clear emerald green, dense, not very juicy, with a lively, markedly tart, almost lemony flavour — a sharp contrast with the round sweetness of classic red tomatoes. Magnificent sliced into a multicoloured tomato salad, where it brings the acidity that wakes up the whole plate; in a green tomato salsa with cilantro and lime; pan-fried in breaded slices Southern-style (fried green tomatoes, except that here it's ripe); or simply with fleur de sel and olive oil.

Grower's tip: the real difficulty with this variety isn't growing it, it's knowing when to pick it, since it stays green. Three agreeing signs: the blossom end shifts from green to golden yellow, the stripes grow more contrasted, and above all the fruit gives slightly under thumb pressure, like an almost-ripe peach. Picked too early it's hard and frankly acid; picked at the right moment it's brilliant. Start indoors 6 to 8 weeks before last frost at 22-25 °C, transplant burying the stem up to the first leaves, with sturdy staking and regular suckering — it's an indeterminate that climbs all summer.

• Open-pollinated. Created in 1983, stabilized, comes true from sowing to sowing. Self-pollinating, low crossing risk.
• Height: 1.5 to 1.8 m. Indeterminate plant, sturdy staking and suckering useful.
• Maturity: about 75 days after transplant.
• Exposure: full sun, sheltered from wind.
• Rich, deep, well-drained soil. Space plants 60 cm apart. Mulching recommended to stabilize moisture.
• Start indoors 6 to 8 weeks before last frost. Transplant once all frost risk has passed and the soil is at least 15 °C (late May/early June in Québec).