It is just starting to happen - you notice that fruit on quite a few tomato plants are beginning to blush, to look just a bit "different"....then it is as if the switch is thrown, and they start ripening everywhere.
Well, I am not quite there yet, but we've tasted quite a few and are very happy with what we've tried. Here is a very first of the tomato season report.
Mexico Midget - first ripe in 35 days - we just love this big tomato flavor in a pea sized package!
Russian Queen - 60 days - a new variety from a gardening friend, with quarter pound fruit with distinct red and gold stripes - and a nice full, sweet flavor. Definitely a winner.
Yellow Prue - 59 days - part of a trial for my tomato friend Tom; long, fat bomb shape, bright yellow, and an interesting, nearly cooked tomato sauce flavor. I need to taste another, but surely interesting.
Sungold - 55 days - nothing more needs to be said about this spectacular orange cherry tomato. I am glad we have five plants growing!
"not" Indian Stripe - 61 days - clearly a cross the bee created in my garden in 1994, perhaps with Purple Smudge - the round quarter pound fruit have an interesting bluish purple cast to the shoulders, then ripen pink. It is quite firm, quite sweet, and quite good....which is a good thing, because it is going to produce a lot of fruit!
Tasmanian Chocolate (two different seed lots) - 50 and 60 days for the two plants - I am pleased to report that the near half pound, rich brownish red fruit are just delicious. I am so glad we got this one into a seed catalog, this being one of our dwarf project new releases!
Perth Pride - 58 days - nice little 3 ounce purple fruit have a full flavor with a tart edge, as we hoped. If all goes well, this one will be in the next group to go to a seed company.
Vzryv - 52 days - one of three early red varieties my friend Jeff sent me, this one is just devastated by wilt disease - but it is a productive determinate variety with 4 ounce round fruit that have a very nice flavor. Needs another chance.
Rose Quartz - 54 days - super productive pink cherry tomato, but the first fruits just didn't have the flavor I remember....may need to be riper, but there will be plenty to taste again.
Fruhe Liebe - 46 days - another from my friend Jeff, and similar to Kimberly. It also got Fusarium Wilt quickly and was pulled - the small red fruit are pretty good for an early non-cherry tomato, but the flavor wasn't earth-shattering for us.
Ozark Cherry - 56 days - Another very productive red large cherry tomato. The flavor isn't spectacular, but is just fine - I think this tomato will shine skewered and grilled.
Coyote - 50 days - this one finally returned to my garden after many years' absence. We are surprised at how much we are enjoying the little ivory colored fruit - it was moved to our deck for better access!
Rosella Purple - 58 days - this was the most delicious large tomato of the year so far, a dead ringer for Cherokee Purple in size, color and flavor. Another new dwarf variety from our project that is now commercially available from a seed company - which is a very good thing!
Shazka - 50 days - the final early red tomato from my friend Jeff, this is a cute little dwarf plant producing 4 ounce round red fruit with a nice flavor. Alas, disease is taking it down quickly.
On the shelf and ripening, or on the plant and ready to be picked, are Isis, Brandywine, Lucky Cross, Cherokee Chocolate, Sarandipity, Blazing Beauty, Mallee Rose, and Coorong Pink. And I suspect I will find more with color when I look later today! I will do another tasting update in a week or so.
I hope you are all starting your harvest of delicious tomatoes!
Well, I am not quite there yet, but we've tasted quite a few and are very happy with what we've tried. Here is a very first of the tomato season report.
Mexico Midget - first ripe in 35 days - we just love this big tomato flavor in a pea sized package!
Russian Queen - 60 days - a new variety from a gardening friend, with quarter pound fruit with distinct red and gold stripes - and a nice full, sweet flavor. Definitely a winner.
Yellow Prue - 59 days - part of a trial for my tomato friend Tom; long, fat bomb shape, bright yellow, and an interesting, nearly cooked tomato sauce flavor. I need to taste another, but surely interesting.
Sungold - 55 days - nothing more needs to be said about this spectacular orange cherry tomato. I am glad we have five plants growing!
"not" Indian Stripe - 61 days - clearly a cross the bee created in my garden in 1994, perhaps with Purple Smudge - the round quarter pound fruit have an interesting bluish purple cast to the shoulders, then ripen pink. It is quite firm, quite sweet, and quite good....which is a good thing, because it is going to produce a lot of fruit!
Tasmanian Chocolate (two different seed lots) - 50 and 60 days for the two plants - I am pleased to report that the near half pound, rich brownish red fruit are just delicious. I am so glad we got this one into a seed catalog, this being one of our dwarf project new releases!
Perth Pride - 58 days - nice little 3 ounce purple fruit have a full flavor with a tart edge, as we hoped. If all goes well, this one will be in the next group to go to a seed company.
Vzryv - 52 days - one of three early red varieties my friend Jeff sent me, this one is just devastated by wilt disease - but it is a productive determinate variety with 4 ounce round fruit that have a very nice flavor. Needs another chance.
Rose Quartz - 54 days - super productive pink cherry tomato, but the first fruits just didn't have the flavor I remember....may need to be riper, but there will be plenty to taste again.
Fruhe Liebe - 46 days - another from my friend Jeff, and similar to Kimberly. It also got Fusarium Wilt quickly and was pulled - the small red fruit are pretty good for an early non-cherry tomato, but the flavor wasn't earth-shattering for us.
Ozark Cherry - 56 days - Another very productive red large cherry tomato. The flavor isn't spectacular, but is just fine - I think this tomato will shine skewered and grilled.
Coyote - 50 days - this one finally returned to my garden after many years' absence. We are surprised at how much we are enjoying the little ivory colored fruit - it was moved to our deck for better access!
Rosella Purple - 58 days - this was the most delicious large tomato of the year so far, a dead ringer for Cherokee Purple in size, color and flavor. Another new dwarf variety from our project that is now commercially available from a seed company - which is a very good thing!
Shazka - 50 days - the final early red tomato from my friend Jeff, this is a cute little dwarf plant producing 4 ounce round red fruit with a nice flavor. Alas, disease is taking it down quickly.
On the shelf and ripening, or on the plant and ready to be picked, are Isis, Brandywine, Lucky Cross, Cherokee Chocolate, Sarandipity, Blazing Beauty, Mallee Rose, and Coorong Pink. And I suspect I will find more with color when I look later today! I will do another tasting update in a week or so.
I hope you are all starting your harvest of delicious tomatoes!
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