My 'Favorites'
I just can't get away from it... Every year, as the website expands to many new and wonderful mater-headed enthusiasts, folks ask me to "recommend"... Probably the most asked question; "can you recommend...?" So let me ask you - which of your children is your best? And I will follow up with "Why do you waste your time with those other kids then?" Trust me when I say that my left hemisphere goes in to full-tilt George Carlin mode while the right's innermost Lewis Black yells "Let 'em have it George!!!" So I am taking a few calm and collected moments while both are napping to try and express how difficult this simple request is.
Tomatoes, much more than many other fruits, are governed by weather. And to a lesser extent by culture (soil conditions, fertilizers, growing methods etc.) No ONE variety of tomato produces consistently in all weather conditions. If Tomato A gives us a whopper crop in 2015 but then cruds out in 2016, why would we not try it again in 2017? If you just absolutely have to have tomatoes and are willing to sacrifice flavor for production please choose any of the 'Hybrids'. But if flavor is why we toil in the soil, then dive deep into the pool that is Heirloom Tomatoes. If you have read the past two paragraphs I will encourage you to spend a few more moments reading "The Heirloom Revolution" and "Too many Tomatoes".
So... begrudgingly I dusting off something offered years back... A shortcut as I see it... I am going to try and pick a handful from each of the 10 Varieties pages... So, do you understand... if I limit my "Must haves" to only 5 from each of the 10 pages that would still give you 50 to choose from... so again I ask "why do I spend any time and effort offering the other 100+ varieties?" If you can't tell I really don't want to do this...
***Minimum Order is Only 5 Plants***
all prices include s/h
We will not be shipping for 2018
Tomatoes, much more than many other fruits, are governed by weather. And to a lesser extent by culture (soil conditions, fertilizers, growing methods etc.) No ONE variety of tomato produces consistently in all weather conditions. If Tomato A gives us a whopper crop in 2015 but then cruds out in 2016, why would we not try it again in 2017? If you just absolutely have to have tomatoes and are willing to sacrifice flavor for production please choose any of the 'Hybrids'. But if flavor is why we toil in the soil, then dive deep into the pool that is Heirloom Tomatoes. If you have read the past two paragraphs I will encourage you to spend a few more moments reading "The Heirloom Revolution" and "Too many Tomatoes".
So... begrudgingly I dusting off something offered years back... A shortcut as I see it... I am going to try and pick a handful from each of the 10 Varieties pages... So, do you understand... if I limit my "Must haves" to only 5 from each of the 10 pages that would still give you 50 to choose from... so again I ask "why do I spend any time and effort offering the other 100+ varieties?" If you can't tell I really don't want to do this...
***Minimum Order is Only 5 Plants***
all prices include s/h
We will not be shipping for 2018
Minimum Order Allowed by Law
$0.00
My minimum order is 5 plants; so here you go... an introduction to the wonderful world of heirloom tomatoes! I will put together a grab bag of assorted sizes and colors...
You might save a buck or two over listed prices???
You might save a buck or two over listed prices???
Presented in alphabetic order.
Amish Gold -
Back from 2015, and previous years Ok... actually seed came from Diana's, but I've been getting them from TF for the last decade; One of my personal all-time favorites - back for 2015! Cross between Amish Paste and Sungold. Ind. regular-leaf tomato plants that yield HUGE crops of 1 1/2"-2" long, oblong shaped, gorgeous golden tomatoes with sharply-pointed end. Fruit has the gold color and flavor of the Sungold, the meatiness of the Amish Paste and delicious sweet/tart tomato flavors that will have you wanting more! This is a perennial favorite tomato in my garden. A rare tomato variety.
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Amos Coli - see also Rio Grande
A fantastic "Paste" type that produced like crazy for me in my Boerne trials last year. I ordered seed early, as they sold out fast in '13. Great flavor and production of 4-8 oz. fruits
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Apricosa - Returning from 2015
These were AWESOME in my trials last year, for production and flavor. "Early. Indet. plants with dark green regular foliage. It is a prolific bloomer, sets fruit early and produces loads of large round orange cherry fruits with apricot-colored flesh, some up to 2" in diameter. Delicious sweet flavor." from Tatiana's
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Black Beauty - HOW AWESOME!!!
These sold FAST for 2016 !!!
"This tomato is the result of an educated guess, a whole lot of luck and years of selecting the best of the best from hundreds of tomato plants over 5 generations. This is the darkest tomato we know of and is likely a nutritional powerhouse as anthocyanin can be seen forming in the flesh for the tomato under the smooth black skin.
Flavor potential is excellent. Rich, smooth and savory with earthy tones.
Dave Kaiser, tomato junkie from Baker Creek tasted it at the 2015 National Heirloom Exposition and proclaimed it as the BEST tomato he had ever eaten." Text & Photo from WBF (c)
"This tomato is the result of an educated guess, a whole lot of luck and years of selecting the best of the best from hundreds of tomato plants over 5 generations. This is the darkest tomato we know of and is likely a nutritional powerhouse as anthocyanin can be seen forming in the flesh for the tomato under the smooth black skin.
Flavor potential is excellent. Rich, smooth and savory with earthy tones.
Dave Kaiser, tomato junkie from Baker Creek tasted it at the 2015 National Heirloom Exposition and proclaimed it as the BEST tomato he had ever eaten." Text & Photo from WBF (c)
$
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Black Plum - "one Black Plum can feed an army!"... from a customer comment -
SOLD OUT in 2016!!!
A very prolific Russian strain, whose brownish-gray fruits are so sweet and meaty that some prefer Black Plum to Roma for making sauces. Also excellent when used in salads or for drying. Oval fruits average 2 to 4 oz., and turn a deep mahogany-brown color at maturity. One of our best for both fresh market and home use.
A very prolific Russian strain, whose brownish-gray fruits are so sweet and meaty that some prefer Black Plum to Roma for making sauces. Also excellent when used in salads or for drying. Oval fruits average 2 to 4 oz., and turn a deep mahogany-brown color at maturity. One of our best for both fresh market and home use.
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Black Yum Yum - seriously, thats the name!!!
Returning from 2015; Great taste and production in my trials. "Indet., regular leaf foliage that is a noticeably darker compared to most of the other tomato varieties. High yield of round brown/black fruits with green shoulders, 3-6 oz. Very rich and savory, delicious flavor, yum yum indeed!" from Tatiana's
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Blush - Ind. 75 days. - Like 'Juliet' but with FLAVOR!!!
NEW FOR 2013 Delightful little tomatoes are about 2 inches long and shaped like elongated grapes. They start out clear yellow, but later blush with pink streaks, announcing they are ripe and ready to pick. Expect heavy production throughout the season and a fabulous flavor that is sweet, fruity and refreshing. Fred Hempel of Baia Nicchia Farm in California developed this truly unique variety.
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Brandywine OTV – Top 5 Seller Ind. 85 days.
OTV Brandywine is a strain of Brandywine that came from a natural
cross between Yellow Brandywine and an unknown red tomato. 'OTV' stands for 'Off the Vine,' an heirloom tomato newsletter once published by Carolyn Male and Craig LeHoullier. These tomatoes are red, foliage is potato-leaved, and yield is often greater than that of regular Brandywine, especially since OTV Brandywine sets fruit more easily in warm weather. Fruit weighs about 1 lb. and its flavor is delicious, the perfect blend of sugars and acids.
Seeds and Picture from Tomato Growers Supply
cross between Yellow Brandywine and an unknown red tomato. 'OTV' stands for 'Off the Vine,' an heirloom tomato newsletter once published by Carolyn Male and Craig LeHoullier. These tomatoes are red, foliage is potato-leaved, and yield is often greater than that of regular Brandywine, especially since OTV Brandywine sets fruit more easily in warm weather. Fruit weighs about 1 lb. and its flavor is delicious, the perfect blend of sugars and acids.
Seeds and Picture from Tomato Growers Supply
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Brandysweet Plum
"Indeterminate, open-pollinated, compact, potato leaf, tomato variety that was an accidental cross between Brandywine and Sweet 100, yielding abundant crops of 2 oz., jade-pink, elongated cherry fruit with the rich, complex flavors of Brandywine combined with the pronounced sweetness of Sweet 100. I've been told that it is difficult for these cherry tomatoes to make it out of the garden and into the kitchen because of their superb taste. A great snackin' and salad tomato." from Tomatofest (c)
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Brown Berry – A personal favorite-
Ind. 70 days. An unusual variety with cherry-type fruits dressed in appealing, earthy- brown skins. More than a novelty - the fruits have very good flavor and are sweet and juicy. A very different look for fresh and cooked cuisine. Sturdy, 78" plants.
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Carmello - These sell fast!!!
From Tomatofest (c). "The French Carmello is among the most productive tomatoes ever bred. It is popular in European markets because of it's exceptionally fine flavor. I de-hybridized this variety over a 5 year period around 1993. Bears large crops of heavy, juicy tomatoes with flavor that just doesn't stop. Another favorite because it consistently produces great tasting fruit.... Good for slicing in salads, sauteed, or as an integral part of any dish."
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Cherokee Chocolate - back for '17 by customer demand!!!
From TGS; 75 days. A stabilized version of Cherokee Purple, this 10 to 16 oz. mahogany-colored variety has excellent flavor and beautiful large fruit. Very productive plants are vigorous and yield a large harvest of these chocolate-colored tomatoes with the ample size and wonderful flavor associated with Cherokee Purple.
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Coyote - Cherry - Limited Supply
From Tomatofest (c). "65+ days. Maye Clement brought Craig Lehoullier a branch of half a dozen of these tomatoes which he displayed at the PA Hort. Society Harvest Show in the late 1980's. Originally it was a wild Mexican tomato called Coyote Tiny Yellow. A jewel-like cherry, that bears 6 to 8 on a branch. Very flavorful!"
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Frosted Green Doctors - A favorite 'Cherry'
Ind. 70 days. This is our favorite green cherry variety, having a good sweetness and lots of flavor as well. Named after Dr. Amy Goldman and Dr. Carolyn Male who have both written great tomato books. We offer two slight variations that we collected and mixed together. One is a yellowish-lime green fruited version; the other is the frosted version which is a pale, frosty-looking kiwi green. Both are delicious and well worth eating, but the frosted one is somewhat sweeter, and the lime one is more tangy. Large vines produced huge yields of these little cherries.
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Isis Brandy - Personal Fav.
Are you kidding me???
70 days. A stabilized cross between Yellow Brandywine and Isis Candy! Flattened, round fruits only @ 2-3" , yellow with pink blush on the underside. Very juicy, sweet and fruity when fully ripe; And only 70 days. Very rare !
VERY LIMITED #'s These WILL sell out fast.
70 days. A stabilized cross between Yellow Brandywine and Isis Candy! Flattened, round fruits only @ 2-3" , yellow with pink blush on the underside. Very juicy, sweet and fruity when fully ripe; And only 70 days. Very rare !
VERY LIMITED #'s These WILL sell out fast.
$
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Isis Candy – Remarkable blend of sweet & tangy
Ind. 70 days. Just plainly = Delicious. Superior quality fruits, marbled in red and with a cat's-eye starburst on each blossom end. 1-1/2" fruits are a silky blend of sugary of sweetness and rich fruitiness. Heavy yields, with season-long production of short trusses, in double rows of 6 to 8 fruits each.
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J.D.'s Special C-Tex - Very popular, hard to find
We had a lot of request for these last year and I am so excited to have found seeds! Full flavored beefsteaks can produce loads of fruit on strong, Indet., regular leaf plants. Pale purple-black flattened beefsteaks with an excellent rich flavor. Interior is solid and meaty, a rich dark red/brown color. 8-14 oz. This tomato was developed by J.D. Brann in the early 80s and was promoted by his family who owns Conroe Greenhouses. It was exclusive to Conroe Greenhouses up until 2009 when other seed vendors also started to offer this variety. This explains 'C-Tex' and 'Special' in the name, where 'C Tex' refers to 'Conroe, Texas'.
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Lava Flow - Limited run - just because some awesome things shouldn't be shared :)
Sold FAST in 2016 - Don't be left out in '17 !!!
WOW!!! best description I can give from my '15 trials -
"Seeds from Gary Cass on The Big Island of Hawaii. After growing this and tasting the fruit, we are excited to feature this new variety at TomatoFest. Named by Gary for the colors and striping that look like the lava that flows from Pu'u 'O 'o', the cinder/spatter cone in the eastern rift zone of the Kilauea volcano. Short indeterminate plants that produce 2", round, light orange tomatoes with subtle green and darker orange vertical striping. The inside flesh is a pastel blush of yellow and pink. The tomatoes are juicy and contain complex, intriguing, well-balanced, fruity flavors that invite you into your next bite with a smile on your face. This is a wonderful salad tomato or just for snacking."- & Pic from Tomatofest (C)
WOW!!! best description I can give from my '15 trials -
"Seeds from Gary Cass on The Big Island of Hawaii. After growing this and tasting the fruit, we are excited to feature this new variety at TomatoFest. Named by Gary for the colors and striping that look like the lava that flows from Pu'u 'O 'o', the cinder/spatter cone in the eastern rift zone of the Kilauea volcano. Short indeterminate plants that produce 2", round, light orange tomatoes with subtle green and darker orange vertical striping. The inside flesh is a pastel blush of yellow and pink. The tomatoes are juicy and contain complex, intriguing, well-balanced, fruity flavors that invite you into your next bite with a smile on your face. This is a wonderful salad tomato or just for snacking."- & Pic from Tomatofest (C)
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Lollipop - Growers favorite yellow cherry - Hard to find
Truly yummy, kids (and yes, this adult) love them!
Ind. Fruits look like lollipops and have a lemony flavor. Distinctive in three ways: the fruits hang on the plants like lollipops, color is creamy yellow, and the flavor is sweet and lemon-like. Fruits average 6 per cluster, occasionally as many as 10 per cluster, each fruit measuring 1-1/4" by 1-1/4". Foliage is narrow leaved on well-branched plants. Highly productive, even under continuous high temperatures, day and night. Vines have good resistance to foliage diseases and plants are suitable for ground culture if desired. Widely adapted, excellent garden variety.
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Kellogg’s Breakfast - see also Persimmon
Ind. 80+ days. Lovely, pale-orange fruits are solid and meaty throughout, packed with mild, superb-tasting flesh. A long-season producer of large, beefsteak-type fruits, up to 16 oz., with solid centers that have just a few seeds at the edges. Very desirable! May not be the heaviest producer, but DAMN, that flavor!!!
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Michael Pollan - Aka "Mint Julep"
Ind. 75 days. Odd shaped mutant from green zebra. Named after the awesome writer, journalist and teacher. (Please read one of his books) Taste is very different from the Green Zebra. Much less tartness, more mild with good sweetness. Very positive response at the Farmers Market.
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Momotaro Hy
Indeterminate. 74 days.
This is the most popular tomato in Japan, where gardeners prefer their tomatoes pink and sweetly flavored. Named for a popular hero from Japanese folklore; His name literally means Peach Tarō. Hybrid plants produce abundant crops of round, medium-sized, perfectly smooth tomatoes with no blemishes or imperfections. Their taste is wonderful, intensely rich and sweet, with just the right amount of acid. We think that this variety will also catch on with American gardeners once they find out how delicious it is.
This is the most popular tomato in Japan, where gardeners prefer their tomatoes pink and sweetly flavored. Named for a popular hero from Japanese folklore; His name literally means Peach Tarō. Hybrid plants produce abundant crops of round, medium-sized, perfectly smooth tomatoes with no blemishes or imperfections. Their taste is wonderful, intensely rich and sweet, with just the right amount of acid. We think that this variety will also catch on with American gardeners once they find out how delicious it is.
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Orange-Fleshed Purple Smudge -By popular demand-
GOING FAST for 2016 - Only 10 left!!!
A surprising "Best Seller" last year... I'll double production for '16. Medium-size fruits that are tangerine-orange with purple speckles and blotches on the top half. The purple coloring is the result of anthocyanin pigment in the skin. Weighs 4-10 ounces. Sweet and mild. I grew these here in Boerne a few years back and couldn't stop the production! A rare variety; Diana's is one of the very few seed sources of this fine fruit!!!.
A surprising "Best Seller" last year... I'll double production for '16. Medium-size fruits that are tangerine-orange with purple speckles and blotches on the top half. The purple coloring is the result of anthocyanin pigment in the skin. Weighs 4-10 ounces. Sweet and mild. I grew these here in Boerne a few years back and couldn't stop the production! A rare variety; Diana's is one of the very few seed sources of this fine fruit!!!.
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Paul Robeson - These SOLD OUT in 2016, just saying
From TGS; One of the most highly regarded black tomatoes; features medium sized deep maroon fruits that are free of most blemishes and cracking. Their flavor is complex, sweet yet tangy, and characteristic of that distinctive richness that makes black tomatoes special. Russian heirloom. Indeterminate. 75 days.
Brought back by request - O.k. MANY Requests!!!
$
7.00
Purple Calabash
Ind. 80-90 days. This is the most truly purple tomatoes we know, not just pink-purple, but it is deep purple-burgundy. It is also uniquely shaped, extremely fluted and almost ruffled in appearance. Fruit is flattened, about 3 inches across, and flavor is described by some as distinctively winey and rich.
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Sleeping Lady - DWARF - Ind.
Produces lots of beautiful 3-6 oz. tomatoes on a compact plant. Excellent balanced flavor as we would expect; the result of a cross of two other outstanding 'black' fruits. Thick and meaty. Smooth and round to oblate, 2-6 oz, and ripen to a chocolate/mahogany color.
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Sweet Orange Roma - Compact
From Tomatofest (c). 75 days. When I had the opportunity to attend the event many years ago this was THE variety that stole the show for me. An prolific producer of large, 1 1/2 x 3-inch, very pretty orange, meaty and great tasting Roma tomatoes. Late producing variety even as weather gets cool.
Smallish plants with the classic thin, wispy foliage of most paste types.
Smallish plants with the classic thin, wispy foliage of most paste types.
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Dwarf Wherokowhai
From New Zealand, Maori words meaning "red/yellow" - Potato leaf Dwarf, it is the first bicolored offering from the Dwarf Tomato Project. Fruits are small to medium size, oblate, yellow with red swirls. Outstanding sweet flavor. It can be considered a dwarf version of one of its parents, Lucky Cross. Thanks to Patrina Nuske Small for photo #1; Picture #2 credit to www.bitsouttheback.net
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Yellow Fire
70-80 days. This dual purpose tomato brings flamboyant orange, yellows and reds to sauces and stands out when sliced and eaten fresh. The fruits are meaty, with few seeds and super tasty. We love how the unique striped fruits hang on the plants, you can't miss them! Text & Pic from Baker Creek.
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