As with pretty much most of the tomatoes in the 1880-1920 era, Earliana is yet another of the medium sized reds that, to those who get excited about the large, meaty and colorful well known heirloom varieties, may just say "ho hum". We have to remember that prior to Livingston's work, which began with Paragon in 1870, tomatoes tended to be lumpy, irregular, and not very good for canning - which was something really important back then. So, Paragon, Favorite, Matchless, Perfection, Earliana, Bonny Best, John Baer - even Marglobe, Rutgers - you get the idea! - all medium sized, fairly smooth, and red - flavor-wise, tending to be a bit more tart/less sweet tasting than the Cherokee Purples, Ponderosas, Mortgage Lifters and Brandywines!
When I grew out a slew of the old historical CVs obtained through the USDA, I learned early on that the major joy was in growing history, not necessarily tomatoes that would knock my socks off in flavor. To me, the best of the bunch may be Livingston's Favorite - a really good flavored, medium, smooth red tomato.
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Craig
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