Ripening Happens

kath · July 21, 2011

The intense heat is coinciding with an increase in blushing/ripening/sunscald...

/

. Not sure if it's the cause of the ripening or if it's just their "time". Happy, happy, happy to see it begin either way.

Top: Sylvan Guame, Fish Lake Oxheart, JD's Special C-Tex, Elfie

Middle: Goose Creek (pink?), Amarillo, Black Mountain Pink-Not

, Jaune Flamme, Mom's Big Red Grapes, Medovaya Kapla

Bottom: Mini Romano, Aldi Orange Grape, Remy Rouge, Sungold F1, Cherrio, Mexican Cocktail, Rideau Sweet

Let the tasting begin!

P.S. Sara's Galapagos, Grub's Mystery Green and Black from Tula also produced ripe fruits but they were eaten before picture day.

jhp · July 21, 2011

Beautiful! Now I am hungry. Off to eat lunch! Thanks for sharing. Let us know how they taste.

Jen

markd42 · July 21, 2011

Very nice! Congrats. PLease post thoughts about the taste of each.

Full Moon · July 21, 2011

Very nice!

And a very good selection of different ones for a proper tasting.

DiggingDogFarm · July 21, 2011

Neat picture kath!!!

patty_b · July 21, 2011

Kath, I am so glad to see the photo including Rideau Sweet... what I am growing is
more the size of Amarillo in your pic. I was pretty sure that couldn't be right as someone else had mentioned how small the seed was from Rideau Sweet.

kath · July 21, 2011

Thanks for your kind comments.

First of all, not all the tomatoes were ripe enough for tasting today. Secondly, I'm really not good at describing taste...at all..I either like them or I don't and for the most part, I don't. I taste 'em plain, near a sink, compare 'em to my faves and it's thumbs up or thumbs down. But since some of you asked, I'll share my thoughts about these few...just this once...

JD's is a fave from last year and it's the only larger tomato that I regrew from last year's list. This year it hasn't been as good as I remember- the fruits are a bit larger but they have kind of a mushy texture. The Black of Tula I had earlier in the week was a much better dark for me...it's a repeat fave from a couple years back.

Didn't care for Elfie at all- sliced up the rest of the mater for drying. Too mild- not at all sweet. I wanted to like it because it's a lovely color and fairly early...and has a cute name.

Grub's Mystery Green was good tasting but I've only tried one. Not good for snacking, but for sandwiches maybe. I ate one slice and cut the rest up for DH's tacos...which tells you a lot. It got quite yellow on the bottom when it got ripe so that helped me know when to pick, but there's something about eating a green tomato that makes it hard for me to like it as much as a tomato of any other color. DH thinks it's weird, too, when he sees it diced on a plate for his tacos. It would be beautiful sliced on a plate with other colors. It might be my favorite green-when-ripe so far...I'd have to try it against Aunt Ruby's German Green...but probably won't.

Fish Lake Oxheart was nice in taste and texture. It could have been a bit riper and it's not sweet like I prefer, but was good for a not sweet, not quite ripe tomato. I'm glad I liked it as much as I did because it's such a pretty pink, has set a lot of tomatoes, is the earliest heart this year, and I got the seed from Carolyn's offer. Too bad it got a really bad case of Septoria and had to be wrapped in shadecloth to avoid losing all the lower fruits to sunscald.

Sylvan Guame wasn't ripe enough to cut. It's got a pretty shape but it seems to be taking a long time to develop full color and it's not nearly as early as I thought it was going to be. It also has been comparatively stingy with the fruit and got EB really badly.

Goose Creek does not appear to be the pink that it was supposed to be but rather the red kind like I grew last year and didn't care for- and that's how I felt about it again today...oh well.

Amarillo was just ok for me- a bit mild & fruity and sweet, but thick skinned... nothing special and I'm not really into the salad-size tomatoes- thought it was more of a cherry type than it is.

Black Mountain Pink-Not was not Black Mountain Pink- and it was a spitter- and it turned out to be salad-sized. Three strikes- it will get pulled. Maybe I'll try again next year.

The Aldi Orange Grape had a really good flavor but I'm not fond of the texture of the grape tomatoes- so crunchy. It was the second time I tried one and this time I let it get a lot more ripe on the vine. Not as good as Sungold, although it has a similar taste, and that's what I'm hoping to find in an open-pollinated variety.

Mini Romano tasted like, well, a mini Romano- so what's the point? It's cute, I guess, but not my idea of snack food. Good for salads, maybe, for some extra crunch and color.

Jaune Flamme is too biting for me-wowee! It went in the dehydrator with the Elfie remains but I'm not sure why I think I'll like it more after the flavor is more concentrated by the drying process. Think I'll let the next one ripen more on the vine and see if it helps.

Cherrio, Remy Rouge and Mexican Cocktail were ripe enough to try today, but for a red cherry I do like Matt's Wild Cherry better than any of them; although I liked Mexican Cocktail the best of the three and so far it's much better behaved than Matt's Wild Cherry. Sara's Galapagos had more zip than sweet.

Mom's Big Red Grapes and Medovaya Kapla aren't ripe enough yet but both are bigger than I like for a cherry. They're also feeling really hard but maybe they'll soften as they ripen. Bigger than one bite with a cherry makes a mess unless you're inside with a knife. Rideau Sweet also needs more time on the counter.

So that's it for today's tasting...over 200 to go. I will taste all these again, with the exception of the spitter. I grow a lot of varieties each year because I don't care for most of them and I'm looking for a few winners that grow well for me. Please don't be influenced by anything I've said about any of these tomatoes. My neighbors will probably think they're all terrific, just like last year. It's for the best if I just declare my few winners at season's end...or not.

Kath

Idahowoman · July 21, 2011

Kath,
I like your idea of growing many to find the few.
That is what I am doing this year to find ones that will grow in Idaho.
Good luck,I hope you find many that will grow and produce lots of tomatoes.

kath · July 21, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Idahowoman

Kath,
I like your idea of growing many to find the few.
That is what I am doing this year to find ones that will grow in Idaho.
Good luck,I hope you find many that will grow and produce lots of tomatoes.

Thanks, Idahowoman- I wish you the same!

remy · July 22, 2011

Great pic. What great assortment to try from!
Remy

kath · July 22, 2011

Thanks Remy- I love watching all the beautiful fruits forming on the plants. New ones are starting to blush every day with the heat we're having- so much fun!

Kath

fortyonenorth · July 22, 2011

Awesome, Kathy - looking forward to more!

nicky · July 22, 2011

What a pretty picture!

kath · July 22, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by fortyonenorth

Awesome, Kathy - looking forward to more!

Thanks, 41N and nicky- I had to discipline myself today and stay out of the tomato patch so that I could get to other garden tasks that HAD to get done, but as I looked into tomato-world from the perimeter as I walked by, I noticed a lot more blushing happening. Hopefully the next picture will be soon. Any worms I missed yesterday will just have to keep on munching 'til tomorrow morning.

Kath

husker nana · July 22, 2011

Kath, Nice looking tomatoes. Sorry to hear you have some Septoria going on. Keep the pictures coming and your thoughts on tomato taste. The best part has started, Bon Appetit!

July 21, 2011	#5
DiggingDogFarm Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New York State Posts: 286	Neat picture kath!!! __________________ "The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can shoot and trap out of it!"

July 22, 2011	#10
remy Buffalo-Niagara Tomato TasteFest™ Coordinator Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Z6 WNY Posts: 2,354	Great pic. What great assortment to try from! Remy __________________ "I wake to sleep and take my waking slow" -Theodore Roethke Yes, we have a great party for WNY/Ontario tomato growers every year on Grand Island! Owner of The Sample Seed Shop

July 21, 2011	#2
jhp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Danbury, CT Posts: 464	Beautiful! Now I am hungry. Off to eat lunch! Thanks for sharing. Let us know how they taste. Jen

July 21, 2011	#3
markd42 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: New York Posts: 60	Very nice! Congrats. PLease post thoughts about the taste of each.

July 21, 2011	#4
Full Moon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Montréal, Canada Posts: 347	Very nice! And a very good selection of different ones for a proper tasting.

July 21, 2011	#6
patty_b Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 487	Kath, I am so glad to see the photo including Rideau Sweet... what I am growing is more the size of Amarillo in your pic. I was pretty sure that couldn't be right as someone else had mentioned how small the seed was from Rideau Sweet.

July 21, 2011	#7
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	Thanks for your kind comments. First of all, not all the tomatoes were ripe enough for tasting today. Secondly, I'm really not good at describing taste...at all..I either like them or I don't and for the most part, I don't. I taste 'em plain, near a sink, compare 'em to my faves and it's thumbs up or thumbs down. But since some of you asked, I'll share my thoughts about these few...just this once... JD's is a fave from last year and it's the only larger tomato that I regrew from last year's list. This year it hasn't been as good as I remember- the fruits are a bit larger but they have kind of a mushy texture. The Black of Tula I had earlier in the week was a much better dark for me...it's a repeat fave from a couple years back. Didn't care for Elfie at all- sliced up the rest of the mater for drying. Too mild- not at all sweet. I wanted to like it because it's a lovely color and fairly early...and has a cute name. Grub's Mystery Green was good tasting but I've only tried one. Not good for snacking, but for sandwiches maybe. I ate one slice and cut the rest up for DH's tacos...which tells you a lot. It got quite yellow on the bottom when it got ripe so that helped me know when to pick, but there's something about eating a green tomato that makes it hard for me to like it as much as a tomato of any other color. DH thinks it's weird, too, when he sees it diced on a plate for his tacos. It would be beautiful sliced on a plate with other colors. It might be my favorite green-when-ripe so far...I'd have to try it against Aunt Ruby's German Green...but probably won't. Fish Lake Oxheart was nice in taste and texture. It could have been a bit riper and it's not sweet like I prefer, but was good for a not sweet, not quite ripe tomato. I'm glad I liked it as much as I did because it's such a pretty pink, has set a lot of tomatoes, is the earliest heart this year, and I got the seed from Carolyn's offer. Too bad it got a really bad case of Septoria and had to be wrapped in shadecloth to avoid losing all the lower fruits to sunscald. Sylvan Guame wasn't ripe enough to cut. It's got a pretty shape but it seems to be taking a long time to develop full color and it's not nearly as early as I thought it was going to be. It also has been comparatively stingy with the fruit and got EB really badly. Goose Creek does not appear to be the pink that it was supposed to be but rather the red kind like I grew last year and didn't care for- and that's how I felt about it again today...oh well. Amarillo was just ok for me- a bit mild & fruity and sweet, but thick skinned... nothing special and I'm not really into the salad-size tomatoes- thought it was more of a cherry type than it is. Black Mountain Pink-Not was not Black Mountain Pink- and it was a spitter- and it turned out to be salad-sized. Three strikes- it will get pulled. Maybe I'll try again next year. The Aldi Orange Grape had a really good flavor but I'm not fond of the texture of the grape tomatoes- so crunchy. It was the second time I tried one and this time I let it get a lot more ripe on the vine. Not as good as Sungold, although it has a similar taste, and that's what I'm hoping to find in an open-pollinated variety. Mini Romano tasted like, well, a mini Romano- so what's the point? It's cute, I guess, but not my idea of snack food. Good for salads, maybe, for some extra crunch and color. Jaune Flamme is too biting for me-wowee! It went in the dehydrator with the Elfie remains but I'm not sure why I think I'll like it more after the flavor is more concentrated by the drying process. Think I'll let the next one ripen more on the vine and see if it helps. Cherrio, Remy Rouge and Mexican Cocktail were ripe enough to try today, but for a red cherry I do like Matt's Wild Cherry better than any of them; although I liked Mexican Cocktail the best of the three and so far it's much better behaved than Matt's Wild Cherry. Sara's Galapagos had more zip than sweet. Mom's Big Red Grapes and Medovaya Kapla aren't ripe enough yet but both are bigger than I like for a cherry. They're also feeling really hard but maybe they'll soften as they ripen. Bigger than one bite with a cherry makes a mess unless you're inside with a knife. Rideau Sweet also needs more time on the counter. So that's it for today's tasting...over 200 to go. I will taste all these again, with the exception of the spitter. I grow a lot of varieties each year because I don't care for most of them and I'm looking for a few winners that grow well for me. Please don't be influenced by anything I've said about any of these tomatoes. My neighbors will probably think they're all terrific, just like last year. It's for the best if I just declare my few winners at season's end...or not. Kath

July 21, 2011	#8
Idahowoman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Idaho Zone 4 Posts: 536	Kath, I like your idea of growing many to find the few. That is what I am doing this year to find ones that will grow in Idaho. Good luck,I hope you find many that will grow and produce lots of tomatoes.

July 22, 2011	#12
fortyonenorth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NW Indiana Posts: 1,150	Awesome, Kathy - looking forward to more!

July 22, 2011	#13
nicky Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Ontario Posts: 600	What a pretty picture!

July 22, 2011	#15
husker nana Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wisc. 5A Posts: 197	Kath, Nice looking tomatoes. Sorry to hear you have some Septoria going on. Keep the pictures coming and your thoughts on tomato taste. The best part has started, Bon Appetit!