Carbon
No garden is complete without a few reliably abundant and flavorful Carbon tomato plants. As the name suggests, it is the heart of tomato darkness and Carbon has all the complex attributes of a great-tasting, dark-fleshed variety tomato.
Purple Haze
Characterized by a sweet, vividly tomato taste, Purple Haze is a revelation. Deep purple flesh with a silvery sheen makes this tomato a stunner. Local tomato breeder Keith Mueller’s main goal is creating tomatoes that they taste good. With Purple Haze, Mueller has outdone himself. Savor the flavor. Eat these little gems one by one.
Anna Russian Heart
This pinkish, beefy oxheart variety is a substantial wonder. Large and beautifully shaped, Anna Russian has the right combination of juiciness and meatiness. More than a few of our favorites here in TomatoTown were introduced to America by our Slav brothers. According to legend, Anna Russian seeds were given to Oregon grower Kenneth Wilcox by a […]
Stupice
Stupice is one of our earliest ripening tomatoes. An heirloom tomato from former Czechoslovakia, this tomato is one of Farmer T’s favorites. He always looks forward to the tangy taste of this compact fruit that announces the start of summer.
Absinthe
Though named for the hallucinogenic spirit that reportedly prompted Vincent van Gogh to remove his ear, this Absinthe is harmless. Packed with flavor, this fruit made it into the top ten best tasting tomatoes at this year’s annual KCTT Tomato Tasting. Created from a cross between Emeraude, Aunt Ruby’s German Green, and Brandywine, the characteristic […]
Liz Birt
Created by local tomato breeder Keith Mueller, this tomato is a pinkish-black beefsteak with green shoulders and a silvery sheen. Keith breeds his tomatoes for flavor and Liz Birt is an interesting mix of smoky and sweet. If you close your eyes, you can taste the attributes of the two tomatoes that were crossed in its […]
Cuor Di Bue
We adore the heart-shaped, sweet tasting Cuor Di Bue. An Italian Oxheart variety, this tomato is similar to Kosovo, a variety we thoroughly enjoyed last year. Every time Farmer T harvests a Cuor Di Bue, he exclaims, “We are going to grow a lot of these next year!” With a solid taste, this tomato has been […]
Cherokee Purple
According to heirloom tomato lore, in the early 1990’s, Craig LeHoullier received a packet of seeds from John Green of Sevierville, Tennessee. Green said the seeds were from a purple tomato Cherokee Indians gave to his neighbors 100 years ago. Through the years, Cherokee Purple’s siren song of sweet taste and strong yields have lured many […]
Oh Ruby!
Aunt Ruby’s German Green has been one of our favorite tomatoes this summer. Few experiences rival the thrill of cutting into one of these fine, green beefsteak tomatoes. With a table full of blushing tomatoes, one can be forgiven for thinking that Aunt Ruby is not yet ripe. But the juicy taste of an Aunt […]
Kosovo
We were excited to grow this tomato and it has not disappointed. The distinctive shape and color of the Kosovo makes it an exciting fruit to find on the vine. The size of the fruit has certainly been impressive this summer. The legend is that this tasty variety was introduced to the United States by […]
Turn on, tune in, drop out
No, this is not an acid flashback. No, this is not the latest photo from the Hubble Telescope. This is the psychedelic tomato we have been waiting to ripen all summer. And the taste is groovy, baby. This is the Berkley Tie-Die. A multi-colored, striped tomato with one of the best paint jobs in […]
Rocket Man
We just love Opalka‘s funky, rocket-like shape. Introduced in the United States in the early 1900s, this vivid red Polish variety is a meaty tomato with a rich, sweet flavor. It makes quite a stir in any salad or salsa, but, with very few seeds, the Opalka is especially good in sauces. We’ve found that […]
Japanese Black Trifele
Also known as a Black Russian Truffel Tomato, the Japanese Black Trifele is a welcome addition to TomatoTown. Luscious green-shouldered specimens that have a rich smoky flavor bring a special intensity to fresh tomato salads or a tomato-basil bruschetta. Much like the Paul Robeson, they are highly-prized for their flavor, color and shape.
Sungold
Sungold (or Sun Gold) cherry tomatoes are sweet and delicious. Great to eat right off the vine, excellent in salads and wonderful for snacking. You can’t beat them for their production, either. They were the first ripe tomatoes we had this year, and we can count on harvesting a handful every morning or whenever we […]
The Black Cherry
The Black Cherry is, by far, our favorite cherry tomato. This modest fruit has the all the intensity of the black varieties. Production has been slow, but we have savored each and every one! We’ve found the best time to eat them is right off the vine. Once warmed by the afternoon sun, the warm […]
Beam’s Yellow Pear
This is one of our favorite varieties, and one of the oldest that I’ve encountered. According to a couple of sources, Beam’s Yellow Pear dates back to the seventeenth century. I can understand how this variety has survived, as each plant produces hundreds of fruits. We planted this variety last year and had to […]