Here
is my list of favorites:
Ananas
Noir —The name of this Belgian tomato,
introduced by Pascal Moreau in 2005, is French for black pineapple. Produces a
large, sprawling, regular leaf plant that yields heavy crop of 1-1½ pounds,
round, dark-purple, fruit with green shoulders. Interior color is a tie-dye
like mix of pink, red, green yellow colors. Loaded with an abundance of
rich and delicious, full-bodied, sweet and smoky flavors with a whollop of
acidity. A great new addition to the list of splendid black tomatoes. Try this
tomato in a salad with other colors. Makes a delicious rich tomato sauce.
Anna
Russian — An heirloom oxheart variety from Brenda
Hillenius, of Oregon, who got from her grandfather, Kenneth Wilcox, who
received seeds from a Russian immigrant. An excellent, gorgeous tomato. Early
maturing for a heart-shaped tomato, the large, visually beautiful, pink-red
fruit normally weighs about 1 pound. Superb rich old-fashioned, tomato flavors
with lots of juice.
Azoyschka
— A very productive Russian heirloom found at the Bird
Market in Moscow. ("Azoychka" is a woman's name). An indeterminate,
open-pollinated. regular-leaf tomato plant that produces an abundant crop
(40-50 tomatoes per plant) of smooth, 3”, 10-16 ounce, slightly flattened oblate,
meaty, yellow/orange tomatoes with a luscious sweet citrusy flavor. Dependably
productive, delicious and deservedly in demand. Unlike most yellow tomatoes
this variety has a good acidic balance to its fruity sweetness resulting in
lots of robust, complex flavors. A great variety suited to coastal and both
warm to cooler growing regions. Produces well into the season. Great for eating
in salads, sliced into a sandwich, cooking in sauces or canning. 68-78 days to
maturity.
Black
from Tula — Russian heirloom from Tula. Largest of
the black tomatoes with 3-4", slightly flattened, oblate, dark brown to
purple fruit with deep green shoulders. Deliciously outstanding, rich, slightly
salty, smoky-fruit flavor.
Brandywine
Red — Red Brandywine is an Old Amish heirloom
dating back to 1885. Named after Brandywine Creek in Chester County, PA. Large,
vigorous vines produce 8-12 ounce, deep-red fruits in clusters of 4 to 6.
Excellent, robust, old-fashioned tomato flavors. 90 days, indeterminate.
2006-2012
Brandywine
Yellow — An Amish heirloom variety. A
bright yellow fruit with a superb flavor similar to the other black and red
varieties.
Caspian
Pink — Originally grown in southern Russia
between the Caspian and Black Seas. Thought by some to be "Queen of the Pinks,"
these prolific, 1-2 pound, globe-shaped, pink-red beefsteak tomatoes that rival
Brandywine in popularity and flavor. One of the best known and best-tasting
Russian tomatoes. This tomato is perfect for cooler climates. My FAVORITE
tomato. OMG one of these on a BLT! To die for!
Dr.
Wyche's Yellow — Given to SSE by the late Dr. John Wyche.
Heavy yields of one pound golden-yellow tomatoes. Meaty flesh and rich flavor.
Indeterminate, 75-85 days from transplant.
Japanese
Black Trifele — Russian origin. In Russia the Trifele
varieties of tomatoes (of which there are several colors) are highly prized and
command big prices. This short potato leaf plant yields prolific quantities of
6 oz. fruit that looks like a beautiful mahogany-colored Bartlett pear with
greenish shoulders. Very tasty flesh with a meaty core that produces luscious
fruit all summer long. A work of art sliced out on a plate and a wonderful
flavor that possesses extraordinary rich and complex flavors. Resistant to
cracking. Indeterminate, 70-80 days from transplant. Really super
tomato!
Jaune
Flame — Beautiful heirloom that originated with
Norbert Perreira of Helliner, France. Early crops of apricot-colored 4 ounce
fruits borne on elongated trusses. Excellent fruity flavor with a perfect blend
of sweet and tart. Great for drying or roasting, retains deep orange color.
Indeterminate, 70-80 days from transplant. Used these to make really good
roasted salsa!
Mortgage
Lifter — A classic old-time, heirloom tomato. A
red strain of the Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter that has almost become one
of America's favorites. Large, indeterminate, regular-leaf, tomato plants
produce good crops of 1-2 pound, slightly ribbed, meaty, red, beefsteak
tomatoes with the perfectly rich, sweet, bold, old-fashioned tomato flavors in
85 days. An ideal sandwich tomato. Also a good market tomato due to its taste
and beauty.
Olirose de St. Domanique - 75 days, pink
oval fruit, plum-like skin, excellent sweet flavor. Plant hat many small
fruits. Made great sauce.
Oregon
Spring — Favorite variety for early silver-dollar
sized, bright-red tomatoes. Earliest fruit have little or no seeds. This bush
variety was developed at Oregon State University for gardeners with cool summer
seasons. Slightly flattened, lusciously sweet and juicy. 60 days,
indeterminate.
Plate de Haiti - The
fruits are small-medium and meaty. Made great sauce.
Paul
Robeson — This "black" beefsteak tomato
is slightly flattened, round, and grows to 4”. Its deep, rich colors stand it
apart from others a dusky, dark-red, with dark-green shoulders, and red flesh
in its center. Very flavorful fruits with luscious, earthy, exotic flavors and
good acid/sweet balance. As this tomato variety originates from Siberia
and sets fruits at lower temps, it is an excellent choice for cooler growing
regions.
Pineapple
— An heirloom garden favorite that grows to 2 pounds. This bi-colored, slightly
flattened, yellow beefsteak has a red blushing and streaks on the outside. Its
yellow interior contains few seeds and a red star-burst in the center. Taste is
wonderfully mild with tropical fruity-sweet flavors.
Pruden’s
Purple — Many folks find this tomato variety
comparable in every way to the favorite Brandywine. It has even ranked higher
at times in taste trials. Great for hot day and cool night climate. Large
potato leaf vine produces lots of 1 pound, slightly flattened, pretty,
blemish-free, purple-pink fruits with few tomato seeds and excellent flavor.
Stupice
— One of four tomato varieties sent to the U.S. from
the former Czechoslovakia by Milan Sodomka. Compact plants with potato leaf
foliage loaded with clusters of 2” fruits. Quite early, great flavor. Heavy
yields all season. Produces well in northern climates. Indeterminate, 55-70
days from transplant.
Striped
German — Beautiful 1-2 pound fruit with
red-yellow stripes and dense, juicy, red-yellow streaked flesh. Excellent
sweet, complex flavors. Produces till frost. 78 days, indeterminate.
Taxi
— The best tomato variety for an early, lemon-yellow tomato. Seeds produce
compact, bushy, determinate, regular-leaf tomato plants that yield 4-6 ounce,
meaty, uniformly-round, delicious, bright-yellow tomatoes that are very
sweet (almost seem acid-free). A wonderful choice to add a zesty spark to
tomato salads or a splash of bright yellow color to your favorite salsas.
Tomatoes hold up well to slicing and they are very suitable for sandwiches.
Taxi can be grown well in most areas. They even hold up well in hot, humid
growing regions.
Tomatoes
I won't grow again:
Indigo Rose — Supposed to be a purple variety. Tomatoes themselves were
very small and hard. Flavor was okay. The plant grew to 5' tall, but had very
low yield.
Moskovich
— A wonderful, extra-early tomato. This heirloom yields
an abundance of deep red, 4-6 ounce, smooth, cold-tolerant, round and slightly
flattened fruits with a luscious, rich taste. Even earlier than Stupice.
Often gets blossom end rot :(
