Today is puzzle day, plus I'll let you in on what all the varieties of all the tomatoes in yesterday's post photo was. Plus what I thought of the much anticipated (by me) Black from Tula tomato from Baker Creek Seeds.
I half heartedly grew a rainbow of tomatoes this year. It isn't difficult with heirlooms and it especially isn't difficult when you harbour the particular brand of crazy that I do.
Tomato crazy.
Weird considering I don't even like tomatoes that much. I like growing them though. I'm just not one of those people who can walk out into a field of tomatoes and eat one of them like an apple.
They do all have different flavours though. Very different in fact. It's something you wouldn't really be aware of until someone sliced them up, blindfolded you and force fed you triangles of tomato.
My personal favourite flavoured tomatoes are Black Krim and Green Zebra. Black Krim is more smokey and Green Zebra zingy. See? Totally different flavours.
Because of this, I'm always growing new varieties to see if I want to add them to the tomatoes I grow every year.
Table of Contents
Black from Tula
Won't grow again
This was a tomato I thought was going to rival Black Krim. It did not. It isn't even dark. Yet every photo I see on the Internet of Black from Tula is very dark looking with green shoulders.
So this I blame on one of two things. Either people are photoshopping every single Black from Tula tomato on the Internet to make it look more enticing ... or Baker Creek's Black from Tula tomato seed stock isn't up to par because what I grew from their seed was nothing short of underwhelming.
Pineapple
Will grow again 🍅
Pineapple tomato (specifically Hawaiian Pineapple) is a tomato I grow almost every year hoping it'll be better than the year before but it never is. It's a BEAUTIFUL tomato that looks like red, orange and yellow tie dye from the outside and inside.
But it's prone to shoulder cracking (which brings quick rot) and has a type of flower that has a hard time pollinating. So I only ever get 4 or 5 pineapples off of one plant every year.
But I persist because it's beautiful, delicious and beautiful. And beautiful. And a challenge. And beautiful.
Juliet
Will grow again 🍅
Juliet is a superstar tomato. I'm currently looking at a 10' plant growing in a pot in my backyard that's remarkably heathy at the end of the season and covered from top to bottom in fruit.
Juliet doesn't crack, keeps forever on the vine without rotting or dropping, is always the first ready to be picked and tastes great. Despite its small size this paste shaped fruit has regular "tomato" taste with a tiny bit of sweetness.
Green Zebra
Will grow again 🍅
Zingy, medium sized, green/yellow when ripe tomato that rarely cracks and has a beautiful striped appearance.
Aunt Ruby's German Green
Will grow again 🍅
Aunt Ruby's German Green is a variety I grow every few years. Green (like genuinely GREEN) when ripe. A few years ago pressed jars of it so I could make a green spaghetti sauce which I have yet to do.
But I will.
White Tomesol
Won't grow again
A white, but leaning more towards a very pale yellow, tomato that's slow to ripen and always looks beaten up.
This was free seed from Baker Creek and I've grown it a few times but this will be the last.
It had several opportunities to redeem itself and hasn't.
Plum Regal
Will grow again 🍅
Plum Regal are my go-to paste tomato because they're relatively (kind of) disease resistant sort of? They try. And that's what matters.
They are less prone to late blight and rot than San Marzanos or Romas though and they've insanely prolific. I love Speckled Roman paste tomatoes but they're less prolific and more prone to disease.
Indigo Rose
Will grow again 🍅
Like most "black" tomatoes, the portion that turns black is the area that gets the most sun. It's rare you'd find a black tomato that's black all over unless you were to hand rotate it or remove other tomatoes around it on the vine somehow.
Having said that, it has amazing flavour (as chosen by one of my sisters in my heirloom taste test and is the blackest of black tomatoes when ripe that I've found.
That's not all of the varieties I grow, but for a Sunday I think it's enough tomato talk.
If you have a favourite tomato variety let me know below in the comments after you're done the puzzle which I finished with lightening speed by the way.
The 20 Piece Puzzle
You can now make the puzzle with as many or as few pieces as you want.
WANT MORE PUZZLE PIECES?
CLICK THE 3 DOTS ON THE UPPER RIGHT OF THE PUZZLE. Then click "CHANGE NUMBER OF PUZZLE PIECES". You'll be able to select however many pieces you want up to over 200 pieces.
To make the puzzle as reliable as possible:
- Sign up for a Jigidi account and sign in before you do the puzzle. This will automatically save your puzzle for you so you don't lose it if you walk away from it for too long.
- Hold your phone or tablet horizontally, not vertically.
As I often do, I attempted the puzzle myself to see what kind of time it would take me.
1:10 for me. For a 20 piece puzzle. That felt bad. Did it again.
1:17 O.K. so that was worse.
1:04 That's it. Done. Victory lap around the block throwing tomatoes at houses.
Have a good remainder of your weekend.
Daryl F Hurley
Hands down best tasting tomato is Cherokee Purple. As a true heirloom it is prone to shoulder cracking and cat facing but who cares how it looks when it tastes that good! (most of the cosmetic issues can be avoided, or at least minimized by even watering at the ground level, i.e. water the roots,not the leaves.)
Carolyn
Have you tried Brad's Atomic Grape tomatoes? They are the prettiest tomato I have seen. None of mine cracked and they are all gorgeous. However, they are a hybrid and I don't know if you do those.
Karen
I do indeed grow hybrids. :) And I have grown Atomics. :) They're mesmerizing! ~ karen
Randy P
Okey dokes - you have inspired me. I stopped at my local major grocery store and will be enjoying a nice Roma tomato with my store-bought fried chicken and deli macaroni salad.... which will probably exceed my monthly allowance for vegetables - lol
Randy P
Almost forgot - 1try = 55 seconds.
Karen
liar. LIAR. inconceivable. ~ karen
May
Every year we grow Orange Slice tomatoes. These are large slicers, more yellow than orange. Very tasty, prolific, and reliable. at least for us in central Ohio
Kristin S.
I grow an unnamed variety that has been passed down from my grandma, now deceased, through her family. I will always grow that one for obvious sentimental reasons, but also it makes nice round cherry tomatoes and is prolific.
I also grew Tami G tomatoes, which had no disease issues but were just very slow to get going. Not sure if I will try those again, but if I do I will start them earlier. I also grew Sun Sugar tomatoes and they did fairly well. Plants got quite huge, but there is some wilt or late blight happening now. Tomatoes are yellow-orange when ripe and very juicy without a super thick skin.
Karen
I grow a similar tomato that I call "the big red beefsteak". But mine doesn't have such a sentimental provenance. It's just an heirloom seed I got from a grower that was unnamed. I have to admit it drives me a little crazy that I don't know what variety it actually is. ~ karen!
Jane
Trying new varieties of tomatoes this year. The determinates Early Siberian and Sasha Altaï are coming in fast & thick, as in, have to go pick them everyday. Hubby is the kind that as a kid, took a salt shaker out to a neighbour's garden and ate tomatoes off the vines. He likes them acidic and big. So far, the tomatoes this year aren't big, but boy, are they ever flavourful! The indeterminates Cosmonaut Volkov and Moskvich are just starting to ripen. They're much bigger, but have to wait and see how they taste. The Cuore di Bue, a paste tomato, don't seem to have set fruits yet. Let's hope the weather will hold.
Jan in Waterdown
Ummm stupid question here…. how do you know when those green tomatoes are ripe?
Asking for a friend.
Karen
You just have to feel them. As soon as they feel as though they've softened up adequately they're ripe. ~ karen!
Karen
Must plant Old German and Persimmon tomatoes .
Have planted these 2 for at least 20 yrs .
karen
Kat - the other 1
Sungold, Sunsugar, Sunsweet, whichever one they have (@ the store) is a given every year. After rinsing off the caterpillar poop these can be eaten straight up, don't even need salt, and I always salt tomatoes. Now I just need to find some good and cheap gluten free bread so I can have tomato toast again! Miss this SO much! Stupid gluten! Grrr... Slightly off topic, this year was my first for Japanese Ichiban Eggplant (& my second year growing eggplant, last year they only had a white variety, which was awesome once I figured out how to cook it to edible, but not available this year) and that is now a staple garden veg to grow every year. (I hope, if I can find it!) I still like the white one but the Japanese one is a little easier to cook, aka more forgiving. I think I tried "normal" store eggplant once or twice, I don't think I cared for it. The key to cooking them to edible seems to be slice thin and fast (cause the white variety turns brown the second you cut it), either spray both sides with oil or quickly rub both sides with oil, then lightly salt (if desired add other spices, like Italian seasoning), then bake low and slow, flipping periodically unless you cut it so every slice is peel side down, once both sides are lightly blistered and browning they are done, or continue to bake (watching them or they will burn!) until they have nearly achieved "chip" status. For more crispy chips let them cool completely on the tray (but out of the oven), and they will continue to crisp up a bit. Some will cook faster so you have to check on them frequently and remove the ones that start getting really brown. Most recently I tried first breading the slices with a mix of cornstarch, cornmeal, almond flour, salt, & Italian seasoning, then drizzling with oil (I was out of spray) and baking. It was a bit trickier with the breading to tell when they were done, but turned out amazing!
(Exact temperature unknown because the toaster oven is not calibrated and I suspect it runs around 40-50° hot. Time varies by thickness of slices, crowding, humidity, and what color socks everyone around are wearing, possibly some other things too. You jus have to watch em closely.)
Leslie
I agree on the sungold and sunsweet. wonderful. I tried Juliet one year and didn't think the taste was sweet or tomatoey enough for me. My big tried and trues are Cherokee Purple and Brandywines, but the squirrels ate every Cherokee this year.
Kat - the other 1
Tried Cherokee purple twice. First time only got one tomato, but it was perfect! So last year I grew two of them (plants), got a few, might have gotten a few more if I'd known they sometimes keep green shoulders. I kept waiting for them to ripen then they'd rot or get eaten. The ones we got were tasty but a lot of space for so few maters. Might try again sometime. Tried Juliet one year, don't anything about it, must not have been memorable. Lol. Hate squirrels. SO much! And chipmunks! When poor baby cat died January all the stray and neighbor cats stopped coming around (I guess they LIKED being chased off??) & now there is no one to eat the chipmunks and scare the squirrels. Although the neighbors new dog likes to run off to our yard and try to sniff out the rabbit and squirrel trails. They'll be yelling after him and he's just like, "nope! Ignoring you! Busy now!" Lol!
Audrey
Karen, I grew Black From Tula this year for the first time with seeds from Baker Creek. Half the seeds I planted turned out to be some kind of cherry tomato, which was fine, just not what I planted. I DID get some actual Black From Tula and they are black on the top and taste great! However, they were slow growing and maturing. In fact, most of them are still green on the vine right now. I may try again next year because the taste was so wonderful.
Karen
Baker Creek obviously has some issues with quality control. ~ karen!
Marie R
I picked up Rose de Berne seeds from the seed library inside the local library and they did very well in the rain and high humidity this year. Tomato has a little sweetness to it, pretty color and shape. Cherry tomatoes in the Aerogarden year round thanks to your recommendation.
Karen
I'm about to drag mine back up from the basement! It relocates for the summer. ;) ~ karen!
Mary W
Love this picture so much and thanks for the mater review. I grew a new tiny plant this year called Orange Hat, in my green stalks and in several TINY plastic pots scattered all over the yard. I didn't take care, water, fertilize. They turned crispy brown but STILL had little red tomatoes - unbelievable all summer. This was a summer for the records and next year I will again be a gardener of sorts instead of the dead weight I was this year. Your electric fence worked well but I didn't.
Karen but not that karen
paul robeson absolutely best flavour for me altho it is a bit prone to cracking . And sweet million always lives up to its name . Tried Berkeley Tie-dye - pretty but not impressed with flavour
Linda
Very informative. I'll check this post when I have a garden again next season.
I second Cherokee Purple, and would add Brandywine. Both wonderful flavour.
Linda
Hi Karen, Love your post as usual…the puzzle as well!
This year I tried sub- arctic cherry tomato and it is fantastic. A smaller cherry tomato but very prolific and sweet! Also love Manitoba as they are the perfect size to stuff. They are nice and firm as well…no cracking. One last one is Vintage Wine which gave me quite a lot of large tomatoes per plant. They do crack a bit but not unduly so! Very beautiful red, green and gold striped.
Great for a tomato sandwich which I have eaten a lot of this summer! Happy gardening from Montreal!
Karen
Thanks Linda! I like the sound of Manitoba. Mainly because I like the name. ~ karen!
Joyce
Where are you getting the Juliet seed? I have not been able to get them for a couple of years.
Karen
Hi Joyce, I can't even remember if I bought the seedling from William Dam seeds this year or grew from a seed packet of theirs I already had. Either way I get them always from William Dam. ~ karen!
Debbie D
For years, my favorite tomato has been the pineapple tomato. I love the look and the taste is fantastic. I pretty much have given up growing tomatoes. Too hot here due to climate change. Even the farmers in the area are whispering this (it is now too hot). No one likes to acknowledge climate change where I live.
Karen
That is just the weirdest thing to me. I wrote a post on How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint.a few years ago and I was shocked by the amount of people who took it as a political statement and didn't believe climate change was real.. ~ karen!
Suzanne
No sh#t. Really? They obviously don’t read or go outside…
Ellen
I've grown heirloom tomatoes as well and some of them have been fantastic, but low yields. But my absolute favourite has been the Grape type tomato - Sugary. Japanese Black Trifele were a close second.
Karen
Interesting! I'd never heard of "Sugary" - they sound ... well, good and sugary obviously. ~ karen!
EC
You mentioned Baker Street Seeds. If memory serves, at least one of the recipes you have shared used jalapeño peppers. This may be one for your Aerogarden, but if you haven't tried Scotch Bonnets, may I suggest you try a packet of Baker Street's organic Scotch Bonnet pepper seeds? Most hot peppers are just that, hot. Scotch Bonnets have just the right amount of heat, AND flavor. After removing the seeds (which can be saved and used to grown again), I finely dice a small piece, and use a bit in eggs, coleslaw, any dish to which you want to add a little kick, and fun fact, the garden in Colonial Williamsburg, VA grows them, and they get their seeds from Baker Street. Also, if you haven't tried Cherokee Purple Heirloom tomatoes, they are another colonial favorite, yum...
Karen
Hi EC! I have grown Cherokee Purple. :) They're very pretty. I do always grow some sort of hot peppers and I know people love their Scotch Bonnets. I'm not sure why I haven't grown them. I'll give them a shot next year. ~ karen!
Sandra Soderberg
How fun to read about these tomato varieties! I have a few ones I am fond of and would like to share:
# Favorie de Bretagne - low and bushy, prolific with green, striped, elongated tomatoes.
# Shadowboxing - mediumsized indigo with a pointy tip. Prolific.
# Grinch Cherry- low and bushy, green, well olive toned when ripe. Prolific.
# Krebbs Strawberry, int.det. with oh so sweet tomatoes.
Best regards
Sandra in Stockholm
Karen
I'll have to try Favorie de Bretagne! I looked it up and it was created by Tom Wager, the same man who created my favourite, Green Zebra. thx! ~ karen