KitsapFG had requested I do a taste test on the varieties of tomatoes I'm growing this year. Following is a chart of all my tomato seeds/plants, and my impression of them. Keep in mind, what is good tasting for one person, may not taste good to another. Also, one variety of tomato might grow well in your area, while being a complete dud in my garden. The opinions below are strictly mine, and in some cases grandson Kevin's, who helped with the taste tests. Please click on the pictures to enlarge them.
The winner, with four out of four tasters agreeing, is.......
Tah-dah
Kellogg's Breakfast!!!
Tah-dah
Kellogg's Breakfast!!!
I brutalized the first jalapeno yesterday. It just about broke my heart to cut off two branches of that plant and remove so many young peppers! I still have three jalapeno plants to go. I tasted tested some of the peppers I picked off the cut branches...no heat.
What a great post! Thanks for all that went into that one! I wish I had the energy to do that, but alas, the kids stole all my mojo...and by the way, how long does it take to regenerate all those brain cells my kids stole from me in childbirth, lol??? Maybe next year I will give that a shot for all my heirlooms :)
ReplyDeleteOh that is so cruel. I would love to grow an 80 day heirloom, but the odds of it growing well in my garden are so slim. I do much better if I stick to the early tomatoes. Siberian tomatoes tend to work well. Tomatoes that need heat - not so much.
ReplyDeleteGranny, i'll try KB next year I think...It is a beautiful tomato, and I've heard great reviews on it. Hands down, the best tomato from my garden is Cherokee Purple. My wife loves them, and that means alot!
ReplyDeleteErin, I'm still looking for those brain cells. Hmmmm, I think they must be around here somewhere ;-)
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Daphne, of course, the two biggest winners in our taste test are beefsteak type heirlooms. My, but that yellow KB is gorgeous sliced and arranged with big slices of the deep rose colored Cherokee Purple/Brandywine mystery tomato!
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EG, I'll be planting the CP seeds again next year, and if both potato leaf and regular leaf plants grow, I'll plant them both.
Great tabulated information! I thoroughly enjoyed reading through it. Like Daphne, I have to stick to varieties that mature in a relatively short period of time and preferably those that also will set fruit in cooler conditions. It's frustrating because when I was gardening in central Washington I could grow huge heirloom beefsteak varieties and have lots of time to harvest after they matured and began to ripen. Here - absolutely no way that would happen! I used to always grow Brandywines (cause I love em!) but they are out of the question on this side of the Cascades.
ReplyDeleteGreat chart! You have convinced me to try those KB, and I have been loving the flavor of my Juliets as well, but the small size is keeping me from canning any of them (so far).
ReplyDeleteI have some Cherry Roma, Moonglow, and Amish Paste seeds to try next year (all from SSE), would you like any? I would be happy to send you a few seeds your way to add to the 2010 taste test list.
Tomatoes on toast for breakfast - yummy, beats cornflakes any day (ironic that isn't it!) Looks great fun all that testing.
ReplyDeleteKitsapFG, none of the earlier varieties I tried were very tasty compared to KB and the probable Brandywine.
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Kelly, Thanks, I'd love to try Cherry Roma and maybe Amish Paste. I'm really looking for a sweet cherry tomato. Amish Paste is iffy here, due to its huge growth habit. I'm only going to plant one yellow tomato, K. Breakfast, so Moonglow is out.
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Heskie, my husband can't javascript:void(0)understand how anyone can eat a tomato sandwich without the bacon. I don't know why he needs bacon to hide the delicious flavor of the tomatoes!
Granny, tell Mr. H that tomato gravy and biscuits is good stuff!
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ReplyDeleteARGHHHHH!
ReplyDeleteThat's one of the few types I DON'T have seed for! *sigh* I'm definitely ordering that one the next time I come across it. My little girls are well on their way to becoming tomato connoisseurs, I've got to keep the momentum going.
Annie's Granny, how do you get your blog to look so cool? Your formatting is spectacular. I was feeling inspired last weekend and started one and it looks nowhere near as good and professional as yours!
EG, tomato gravy? That must be a southern dish, I've never heard of it.
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Rebecca, I just used the "Rounders 3" template when I created the blog. The header photo is of a previous garden (2003, I think) and everything in the sidebar was by trial and error. Email me at anniebloom1 at gmail dot com if you need help.
mmm tomato gravy with grits and chedder cheese, a couple of soft poached eggs.. and biscuits.. made for me by someone from Alabama.. it was absolutely delicious!!! another delicious tomato dish is tomatoes and onions sauteed in olive oil... a grating of parmesan cheese and a couple of eggs and toast.. yum yum!
ReplyDeleteThat tomato gravy must be an Alabama thing, Roasted Garlicious! I love just about any kind of gravy with biscuits, but tomato gravy just sounds all kinds of wrong to this northerner! I checked out a recipe, and it sounds a bit like thick tomato soup ;-)
ReplyDeletemmm kind of.. but he made it with chopped tomatoes so still had a bit of texture.. was very good tho :D, he didn't use any milk or cream either, like some recipes call for.. just cooked the tomatoes with a bit of salt and pepper till it was nice and thick.. we polished off the leftovers at dinner, on top mashed potatoes...
ReplyDeleteI think all the recipes I looked at used milk, except one...it was spaghetti sauce, which many Italians call "tomato gravy"! Now you've gone and made me hungry, and I'm trying to lose a few pounds. I want a biscuit with some of my home made strawberry jam. :-(
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