Tomato Roundup for 2017

Heirlooms: rich, old-time flavor and dramatic presentation 

Time to talk about tomatoes, the most important vegetable crop in the summer garden. You know, the tomato is actually a fruit—but that’s a conversation for a different day. It’s essential to offer several different types of tomatoes, and we have quite a diverse selection. I’d like to introduce you to a few of the interesting new varieties we have for the 2017 season.

‘Chef’s Choice Orange’

‘Chef’s Choice Orange’ is actually a hybrid-heirloom adapted from ‘Amana Orange’. It retains the rich flavor and radiant color of the original heirloom but it matures much earlier. Fruits measure about 5–6 inches and weigh in at around 9–12 ounces each. This is a beefsteak type that’s great for slicing and popular for soups and sauces, because it keeps its bright orangeness even when cooked.

‘Ponderosa Pink’

We have some new heirloom varieties as well. One is the standard ‘Ponderosa Pink’, with huge, meaty beefsteak tomatoes that are deep, rosy-red both inside and out. These fruits are full of old-time tomato flavor and are great for slicing or canning, weighing up to two pounds each. Like some of those ruddy cowboys around the campfire, ‘Ponderosa Pink’ may not be classically handsome but it has a lot of character.

‘Cherokee Purple’

Another heirloom this year is ‘Cherokee Purple’, which originated in Tennessee sometime before 1890. For an heirloom, this variety yields a large amount of fruit. It has an old-fashioned sweet, rich flavor that matches its deep, rich purple-red color and is a consistent winner at taste tests around the country. Foodies will appreciate the pretty purple slices when it comes to plating a dramatic salad. These tomatoes measure about 5 inches each and weigh around 10–12 ounces.

‘Chocolate Cherry’

Two of our new cherry varieties are opposites in both color and taste. First we have ‘Chocolate Cherry’, a striking little tomato with skin and flesh of deep red-brown. These uniform 1-inch fruits are held on trusses among dark green leaves, aka camouflage. There’s a bit of hunting involved when we’re in the mood for a sweet, juicy snack—but the rich old-time flavor is worth the effort. We get a lot of tomatoes with this variety.

‘Sungold’

‘Sungold’, on the other hand, is a golden-orange cherry tomato with more of a tart-sweet flavor—we’ve heard the taste described as “fruity” and “tropical”. It’s become very popular, especially with kids who like to eat these treats straight off the vine. ‘Sungold’ tomatoes are borne on trusses as well, and they mature early so they’re ready for snacking a week before they fully color up—although the longer you can wait, the sweeter and fruitier they’ll be. 

All of the above varieties come in the 4.5-inch pot. ‘Ponderosa Pink’ is also available in the 1202 flat. Please visit the Spring Catalog on our web site for our complete line of tomatoes for the season.