French Beefsteak
Cuostralee - The French Beefsteak
Another tomato in the beefsteak family, which means it’s good for slicing and for sandwiches. But, what tomato isn’t? Farmer J has been known to have a cherry tomato sandwich. Some folks on the internet think this one tastes better than the Tomato Town favorite, the (mighty) Cherokee Purple. Farmer T does not agree, though the Cuostralee is a close second in taste. In terms of style points, the two we have are a bit funky looking, and I like the look of the inside of the Cuostralee. Very interesting. We will grow it again.
History: This tomato is listed in Smith & Hawken: 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden (http://bit.ly/9jaQm). I still haven’t bought this book! All I’ve been able to find so far, pertaining to the history, is this: ” … French family heirloom obtained by Craig LeHoullier and Carolyn Male in an extensive sharing of seeds in 1992 with Norbert Pairerra of Hellimer, France.” Source: http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Cuostralee
I found quite a bit of information about Mr. LeHoullier on the internet. One article calls him The Tomato Man, on a quest to preserve heirloom tomatoes worldwide. I like him already. I’ve got an e-mail into him, and I plan on doing a more extensive post on him in the future, as one of the ‘Friends of the Heirloom’ section coming out next month.
Farmer T – out.
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